U.S.
President Barack Obama urged former Prime Minister Naoto Kan in a letter to
work hard on enhancing nuclear security, indicating U.S. frustration over
foot-dragging in Tokyo, Japanese government sources said Wednesday.
The content of the letter was conveyed to the
Japanese government Aug. 22 through diplomatic channels, the sources said.
Obama, who in April 2010 hosted the first
nuclear security summit in Washington to boost international cooperation to
prevent nuclear terrorism, said in the letter, "I am working hard on the
tasks set at the April Summit, and I urge you to do the same."
Referring to the Nuclear Security Working
Group set up by the U.S. and Japan, Obama said, "As two nations with an
advanced nuclear infrastructure, we need to take leadership on nuclear
security, especially at plutonium and highly enriched uranium processing
facilities.
"We have seen many encouraging steps to
improve the security of nuclear materials around the world and to strengthen
our individual and collective ability to prevent nuclear smuggling," Obama
wrote.
"At the same time, we are reminded almost
daily of the ongoing threat of terrorism and of the necessity to do all we can
to avoid the global catastrophe of a terrorist nuclear attack."
Obama said the two countries need to use the
second nuclear security summit, to be held in Seoul next April, "to
highlight our progress on nuclear security, and to identify new steps we can
take together toward the vision of a more prosperous and peaceful world, one in
which nuclear threats are diminished through cooperation and purposeful
action."
He also called on Japan to make good use of
the Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Nuclear Security
it established last December in the village of Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture.
To strengthen nonproliferation and nuclear security,
the center provides training for nuclear industry personnel in emerging
countries that are introducing commercial nuclear power.
Obama has sent similar letters to countries
other than Japan, according to U.S. government sources.
Japan and the U.S. held the first meeting of
the Nuclear Security Working Group in January and agreed to jointly study
nuclear forensics, a sophisticated technology to analyze the composition of
nuclear materials and specify their source.
The two countries also reached an accord on
cooperation in establishing technologies to measure nuclear materials contained
in spent reactor fuel and boosting security for transporting nuclear
substances.
Japan has been slow in implementing the
agreements following the March 11 disaster, which triggered the crisis at the
Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant. Japanese officials believe the letter
demonstrates Washington's concerns over Tokyo's efforts to enhance nuclear
security.
The two countries have yet to start joint
research on nuclear forensics technology, and a planned experiment in Tokai to
measure plutonium contained in spent nuclear fuel was changed as a facility
necessary for the test was damaged by the March 11 quake.
The announcement by Tokyo Electric Power Co.
that it had lost contact with 88 nuclear workers deployed to contain the crisis
as of late August is also believed to have raised concerns in the U.S.,which is
keen to prevent terrorism by those who have access to nuclear materials.
Kyodo
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment