France, Japan seek deeper nuclear cooperation

The prime ministers of France and Japan attended high-level talks in Tokyo on enhancing nuclear cooperation between the two countries. The talks included cooperation in nuclear safety and research on decommissioning nuclear facilities.

The prime ministers of France and Japan attended high-level talks in Tokyo on enhancing nuclear cooperation between the two countries. The talks included cooperation in nuclear safety and research on decommissioning nuclear facilities.

Valls and Abe give a press conference following the meeting (Image: Kantei)

The talks - held in the Japanese prime minister's office in Tokyo on 5 October - were held with the participation of government representatives, as well as those from French and Japanese companies. Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe and his French counterpart Manuel Valls also attended.

In a joint statement, the two countries noted the role that nuclear power plays in national energy policies and highlighted its contribution to "energy independence, economic competitiveness and the fight against climate change".

Abe said, "As we have few [fossil fuel] resources, nuclear power is an important energy source for both our countries in terms of security. In order to work toward economic growth and improve the safety of nuclear power around the world, it is vital that we sustain our advanced human resources and technology, and encourage the sound development of the nuclear power industry."

The French side briefed the Japanese representatives on the guidelines adopted for overhauling France's nuclear industry, in particular those that allow the "development of industrial synergies and strengthening overall capacity in the sector". Opportunities that this overhaul brings were discussed.

"Both partners stressed the continuity of cooperation established between companies from both countries, including in the design and promotion of new reactors, nuclear fuel cycle and development of technology for decommissioning nuclear power plants," the joint statement said.

France and Japan said they would pursue their "promising" cooperation in the development of the Atmea-1 reactor design - the result of a partnership between Areva and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The two prime ministers welcomed the selection of the Atmea-1 for the Sinop project in Turkey and agreed to continue promoting the design in other countries.

Abe said that Japan is sharing its experiences and lessons learned from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant with the international community, contributing to enhanced nuclear safety around the world. "Together with France, we hope to promote international joint research on decommissioning", he said. France, meanwhile, "reiterated its readiness to contribute by mobilizing its expertise and capabilities in research and development, as well as through partnerships between French and Japanese companies".

"In strengthening our cooperation, it is vital that we improve the safety of nuclear power and bolster efforts for nuclear non-proliferation," Abe said. "The issues surrounding nuclear power require that efforts be addressed from a global security perspective. It is important that we work to strengthen the protection of intellectual property, non-proliferation systems, and nuclear security by universalizing International Atomic Energy Agency safety measures and imposing strict export controls."

Abe and Valls requested that the French-Japanese committee on nuclear energy, whose next meeting will be held in Tokyo in November, "examine concrete proposals to intensify cooperation" between the two countries.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News