TOWARD BETTER MANAGEMENT OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS IN JAPAN AND ASIA

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor for me to present the keynote speech on the situation of nuclear materials management and associated movements in Japan and Asia at this 37th Annual Meeting of the Institute of Nuclear Material Management. Nowadays, the Asian region is drawing a great deal of attention from all over the world regarding its possible future role as the core of worldwide peaceful nuclear energy development. In Northeast Asia, Japan, Korea and Taiwan already have a significant amount of nuclear power generation. Furthermore, these countries together with China have expansion plans. Southeast Asia is just beginning to plan and construct civilian nuclear power stations. Among these Asian countries, Japan can be regarded one of the most developed nations as far as peaceful nuclear energy is concerned. Within Japan several nuclear fuel cycle facilities, including reprocessing and uranium enrichment facilities, are in operation. Research and developmental activities on fast breeder reactors are continuing. Such facts explain why I was chosen as the keynote speaker at this Annual Meeting. On this occasion, I would like to explain three topics in general. The first is the history (which should be brief) and the present situation of Japanese nuclear energy development and nuclear materials management. The second topic is Japan's efforts to strengthen international non-proliferation efforts, which include: various assistances in the dismantling of the former Soviet Union's nuclear forces; Japan's participation in the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (called KEDO), which is responsible for the supply of two light water reactors to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK); Japan's initiative and contributions to the establishment of guidelines for use and storage of separated plutonium; technical and financial support to the IAEA safeguards implementation; and the strengthening of the Japanese system of accounting for and control of nuclear materials (SSAC) in connection with the Agency's activity, Program 93+2. The last topic that I will address is concerned with nuclear energy in the Asian region. The concept of ASIATOM, or PACIFIC ATOM is now being widely discussed in several countries in Asia. I would like to discuss this idea, especially regarding the objectives, possible contents and the structures.