Japan to provide 4 bil. yen more to Russia to dismantle nuke subs

TOKYO, May 1 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Taro Aso has decided to provide around 4 billion yen of
additional assistance to Russia for the dismantlement of decommissioned nuclear
submarines in the Far Eastern region, Japanese government sources said Friday.
The decision will be announced during his meeting with Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin on May 12 in Tokyo, according to the sources.
The Japanese side apparently expects the aid to demonstrate Tokyo's
determination to achieve nonproliferation and calm anxieties among Russian
residents around the Okhotsk Sea about environmental contamination from
radioactive substances.
The dismantling of the submarines is an international project supported by 20
countries, including the United States, and Japan has provided around 20
billion yen so far.
Dismantlement itself will be completed in the spring of 2010, and Japan is also
considering helping Russia build storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel,
according to sources at the Foreign Ministry.
==Kyodo