Russia, Japan preparing uranium agreement.

TOKYO, June 23 (Itar-Tass) - Russia and Japan are at a final stage of preparing in intergovernmental agreement on the peaceful use of atom that is to be signed on the sidelines of the G8 summit on Hokkaido on July 7-9.
Consultations are going on between Tokyo and representatives of the Japanese Foreign Ministry on cooperation in the nuclear sector.
Informed sources say that the sides have no differences, and a
possibility of its signing during the G8 summit is "significant".
This document will broaden cooperation in the nuclear energy sector. It can include the uranium output, increasing supplies of low-enriched uranium, the establishment in Russia of joint ventures for production of equipment for nuclear power engineering, and cooperation in the construction of nuclear power plants in third countries.
Local observers say Russia has a 40 percent proportion in the uranium enrichment sphere in the world, and it is of interest to Japan in terms of diversifying nuclear energy sources.
The signing of the agreement will open access to Japanese technologies of nuclear power plant construction.
Japan already has such agreements with Australia, Britain, Canada,
China, the US and France.
It is also planned to sign it with Kazakhstan that has the
second-largest reserve of uranium after Australia.