Bato-Zhargal Zhambalnimbuyev, member of Nuclear Energy Sub-Committee of Federation Council

– Japan is good partner for us

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 long pause in Russian-Japanese relations (the previous agreement was signed as long ago as 1991 by Japan and the Soviet Union) was due to political contradictions, particularly, the problem of Kuril islands. This is the key reason why Russian-Japanese negotiations for cooperation in nuclear power engineering, trade, industry and other fields have been developing quite slowly. The global crisis has prompted the parties that it is necessary to more actively develop their cooperation, especially, in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is a source of stable power supply and a good way to diversify risks. Japan decided to sign this agreement even despite the lack of a peace treaty and its territorial claims.

The ice has broken up: the present situation has forced the Japanese to agree to the cooperation we have always been ready for. They must have realized that they do need stable partnership amid global instability. We are not just neighbors. We have joint projects, particularly, the power supplies under the Sakhalin project. For over 10 years already the Japanese have been stably supplied with our power resources and have seen the benefits of partnership with Russia. I think that it was right decision on their part to intensify their nuclear energy cooperation with us.

Japan is a good partner for us. The Japanese have developed nuclear electronics and control systems, we have highly efficient reactors and construction technologies. So, we both have high-value coins to put in the common box.

I don’t think that the crisis can have any drastic impact on Rosatom’s billions worth contracts. Nuclear energy is a strategic direction covering not only Rosatom but many other structures. The financing will hardly be reduced. Rosatom and the Government can well afford to support these projects. Japan also has sufficient resources for joint projects in such fields as uranium mining and NPP construction.