Ivan Rubinov, analyst of Olma IG

– Signing of Russian-Japanese agreement in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy will facilitate the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between the states

During a meeting in Tokyo on May 12 2009 Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Hirofumi Nakasone signed an inter-governmental agreement for cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy. The document is aimed at laying a firm legal basis for the actively developing Russian-Japanese cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy. The agreement covers a wide range of activities: prospecting and mining of uranium; engineering, construction and operation of light water reactors; processing and treatment of radioactive waste; nuclear safety and ecological control; study and use of radio-isotopes and radiation. The document says that the parties may exchange of experience and experts, provide services and supply materials, products and technologies. The official period of the agreement is 25 years but, de facto, it will be an open-ended agreement unless either of the parties decides to terminate it. The new large-scale Russian-Japanese inter-governmental agreement for cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy has replaced the Soviet-Japanese agreement signed Apr 18 1991 and is expected to foster joint projects. Now the agreement is to be ratified by the Russian and Japanese parliaments.

The signing of the Russian-Japanese agreement for cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy will facilitate the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between the states. Russia will gain bigger access to Japan’s nuclear fuel market while our Japanese partners will be able to develop new deposits in Yakutia and third countries. This agreement will make Techsnabexport’s work in Japan much easier and will offer additional stimuli to other Russian companies.

Japan’s plans to increase the share of its nuclear power plants in the total energy production from 30% to 40% by 2017 will help that country to reduce its dependence on oil and gas import from such unstable regions as the Persian Gulf. That’s why Japan is actively participating in the development of gas deposit on Sakhalin and now is considering building jointly with Russia a uranium enrichment plant and a low enriched uranium storage facility in its territory. Japan has unique experience and technologies in the field of NPP engineering and construction and Russia may it under its projects.