The Japanese government will strengthen cooperation with other countries to effectively develop and carry out strategies for nuclear safety, decommissioning and decontamination. It will set up a bilateral commission with each of the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries in an effort to garner knowledge and expertise from each country. While the area of nuclear power encompasses many ministries and other governmental departments, establishing a bilateral commission will enable relevant departments of two governments to meet together in one place and make decisions more swiftly.
The Japanese government hopes that this will facilitate smooth operation of the decommissioning of the Fukushima I nuclear power station, which caused the accident last year, as well as the decontamination of the surrounding areas.
The Japanese government plans to launch bilateral commissions with France, the US, the UK and Ukraine. It held the first meeting with France in October last year, and convened the first commission meeting with the US on July 24 in Tokyo.
The commission meeting with the US was attended by officials from several Japanese governmental departments including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Participants from the US included officials from the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Defense. The participants exchanged their views on a wide range of themes such as the independence of regulatory systems, decommissioning and decontamination of Fukushima I, research and development, nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear security (measures against nuclear terrorism).
Japan also held the first bilateral committee meeting with Ukraine on July 26 in Tokyo. The Ukrainian government officials led by Volodymyr Kholosha, head of the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, were invited to Japan, and the two countries discussed response measures in the aftermath of the Fukushima I accident and the future direction of the bilateral cooperation.
Specific schedules for meetings and other plans have not yet been set for the bilateral commission with the UK because the UK has experience in the decommissioning of several nuclear facilities conducted by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the Japanese government is hopeful of tapping into the British expertise in the related areas.
