Japan and France to begin nuclear safety ministerial dialogue

Japan and France to begin nuclear safety ministerial dialogue

2011-05-26 06:42:54 GMT+7 (ICT)

PARIS (BNO NEWS) -- The governments of Japan and France on Wednesday agreed to develop a ministerial dialogue on nuclear safety among other key issues related to energy.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan told Kyoto news agency that he had discussed Japanese and French energy policies with France's President Nicolas Sarkozy on the eve of an annual summit of the Group of Eight countries in a Normandy resort. Kan's Tuesday arrival, marks the first Japanese leader to visit France in four years.

During their meeting, Kan and Sarkozy agreed to enhance cooperation between the two countries, launching a ministerial dialogue on energy and nuclear safety. Kan also underlined that Japan has taken safety measures since the country's ongoing nuclear crisis that began when the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck the country on March 11.

Kan said Japan had been working to ensure "the highest standard of safety," expanding the country's use of renewable energy, as well as suspending operations at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in central Japan.

The two leaders also discussed trade cooperation, as Kan asked for support over Japan's push to signing a free trade agreement with the European Union.

On Tuesday, The Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the troubled Fukushima nuclear plant, admitted that two more nuclear meltdowns occurred at Units 2 and 3, as the the company had previously announced the meltdown in the No. 1 reactor.

At least 14,294 people were killed, while some 13,000 people remain missing due to the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. Japanese officials have called it the worst crisis since the end of World War II.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-05-26