ID :
184426
Wed, 05/25/2011 - 19:57
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/184426
The shortlink copeid
Japan, France agree to launch ministerial dialogue on nuclear safety
PARIS, May 25 Kyodo - Japan and France agreed Wednesday to launch ministerial dialogue on nuclear safety, energy and other key issues, on the eve of an annual summit of the Group of Eight countries in a Normandy resort.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan told reporters after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy that they mainly discussed the two countries' energy policies and agreed to begin foreign ministerial talks to enhance cooperation between Tokyo and Paris.
Kan told Sarkozy over lunch in Paris that Japan will continue to be dependent on nuclear power by ensuring ''the highest standard of safety'' while it has been trying harder to expand the use of renewable energy since the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, according to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama.
Kan briefed Sarkozy on Japan's efforts related to the crisis, triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, referring to such measures as the shutdown of the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in central Japan this month out of concerns for public safety, Fukuyama told reporters.
Sarkozy told Kan that it is ''not appropriate'' to engage in discussions of whether to choose nuclear energy or not to choose it, Fukuyama said.
Kan also asked Sarkozy to cooperate in promoting trade with Japan as the government is making sure that all Japanese exports are safe.
Kan asked for support over Japan's interest in signing a free trade agreement with the European Union. But Sarkozy said Tokyo needs to make more efforts toward removing its nontariff trade barriers, according to Japanese officials.
In addition, Kan told Sarkozy that the G-8 leaders should send a strong message to North Korea during the summit, the officials said, adding he informed the president that Japan's ties with China have been improving in recent weeks.
Kan, who arrived in the French capital late Tuesday night, has been asked by Sarkozy to speak about the nuclear accident at the outset of the two-day summit in Deauville.
He is the first Japanese leader in four years to make an official visit to France.
Kan also met with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, before holding one-on-one talks with Sarkozy.
The aftermath of the calamities that struck a wide area of Japan's northeast is one of the major topics to be discussed by leaders of the G-8 group, whose six other members are Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States.
Sarkozy quickly put nuclear safety on the agenda, as chair of the G-8 and the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies, after the 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami knocked out the Fukushima plant's reactor cooling systems, leading to radiation leakages and the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.
More than two months after the plant troubles began, the operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said this week that fuel rods at three of the reactors likely melted in the early days of the crisis.
Sarkozy is especially concerned about the repercussions of the accident, the worst since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, as France relies on nuclear power for nearly 80 percent of its electricity and the export of atomic technology is important for its economy.
In late March, Sarkozy became the first foreign leader to visit Japan since the natural disasters struck. He agreed with Kan at the time that Japan and France would cooperate in crafting new global nuclear safety standards by the end of this year.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan told reporters after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy that they mainly discussed the two countries' energy policies and agreed to begin foreign ministerial talks to enhance cooperation between Tokyo and Paris.
Kan told Sarkozy over lunch in Paris that Japan will continue to be dependent on nuclear power by ensuring ''the highest standard of safety'' while it has been trying harder to expand the use of renewable energy since the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, according to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama.
Kan briefed Sarkozy on Japan's efforts related to the crisis, triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, referring to such measures as the shutdown of the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in central Japan this month out of concerns for public safety, Fukuyama told reporters.
Sarkozy told Kan that it is ''not appropriate'' to engage in discussions of whether to choose nuclear energy or not to choose it, Fukuyama said.
Kan also asked Sarkozy to cooperate in promoting trade with Japan as the government is making sure that all Japanese exports are safe.
Kan asked for support over Japan's interest in signing a free trade agreement with the European Union. But Sarkozy said Tokyo needs to make more efforts toward removing its nontariff trade barriers, according to Japanese officials.
In addition, Kan told Sarkozy that the G-8 leaders should send a strong message to North Korea during the summit, the officials said, adding he informed the president that Japan's ties with China have been improving in recent weeks.
Kan, who arrived in the French capital late Tuesday night, has been asked by Sarkozy to speak about the nuclear accident at the outset of the two-day summit in Deauville.
He is the first Japanese leader in four years to make an official visit to France.
Kan also met with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, before holding one-on-one talks with Sarkozy.
The aftermath of the calamities that struck a wide area of Japan's northeast is one of the major topics to be discussed by leaders of the G-8 group, whose six other members are Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States.
Sarkozy quickly put nuclear safety on the agenda, as chair of the G-8 and the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies, after the 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami knocked out the Fukushima plant's reactor cooling systems, leading to radiation leakages and the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.
More than two months after the plant troubles began, the operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said this week that fuel rods at three of the reactors likely melted in the early days of the crisis.
Sarkozy is especially concerned about the repercussions of the accident, the worst since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, as France relies on nuclear power for nearly 80 percent of its electricity and the export of atomic technology is important for its economy.
In late March, Sarkozy became the first foreign leader to visit Japan since the natural disasters struck. He agreed with Kan at the time that Japan and France would cooperate in crafting new global nuclear safety standards by the end of this year.
