Wednesday, May 13, 2009

China, Russia Sign Civil Nuclear Deal

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso met in Tokyo on May 12, 2009. The two Prime Ministers witnessed signing of the first-ever bilateral civil nuclear deal.The deal would entail technology transfer to Tokyo in key areas of plant reconstruction, fuel recycling and uranium enrichment.

The civil nuclear accord is expected to give some Japanese manufacturers a chance to expand their profiles in the atomic power business by offering a wider range of services. Access by Japanese firms to Russian uranium will make their sales talk more attractive.

Legal Framework

The legal framework of the accord, signed on the occasion of a visit to Tokyo by Russian Premier Vladimir Putin, is likely to enable the transfer between the two countries of technologies related to plant construction and fuel recycling, as well as of nuclear materials like enriched uranium.

Establishing Direct Ties

The two sides will be able to establish direct ties in this very sensitive - from the security point of view - area. Till now Tokyo preferred to cooperate in this sphere exclusively with the US and a number of Western European countries.
Japan has concluded similar accords with six other countries, including the United States and China, as well as the European Atomic Energy Community. Under the agreement, Russia, the world's biggest uranium enricher, will give Japan access to a stable supply of nuclear energy resources.

At the same time Rosatom and the Russian-Japanese committee on cooperation signed an agreement on assistance in the liquidation of nuclear weapons to be cut by the Russian Federation and on cooperation in the construction of a ground storage facility in the Far East for reactor sections of decommissioned nuclear submarines

Putin and Aso were pleased with the results: both concluded that the crisis could be used to benefit bilateral economic relations.

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