The Yomiuri Shimbun
Visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday discussed with Prime Minister Naoto Kan measures to deal with the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which was crippled by the March 11 Tohoku Pacific Offshore Earthquake. Sarkozy assured Kan the international community will unite to support Japan in its recovery from the extensive damage suffered in the disaster.
Kan and Sarkozy also agreed the nuclear accident will be on the agenda at the Group of Eight summit talks scheduled in late May.
Countries around the world are watching how Japan deals with the nuclear accident. Armed with the cooperation of France, which has many nuclear plants, the Japanese government should do its utmost to achieve the top priority--restoring the cooling functions of the nuclear reactors.
The French president visited Japan on his way home from an international seminar in China. As Sarkozy is also the chair of the G-8 and the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies, his visit also aimed at emphasizing that the international community as a whole should jointly work on measures to deal with disasters such as a massive earthquake and tsunami or a nuclear power plant crisis.
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Sarkozy an N-power enthusiast
Frustration with Japan's inability so far to bring the nuclear situation completely under control might also have prompted the French president to visit Tokyo at a time when the Japanese government is clearly very busy dealing with the disaster.
France has the world's second-largest number of nuclear power plants in operation after the United States and depends on them for about 80 percent of its power generation. Sarkozy himself is eager to develop new markets for French nuclear power plants. He has tried to sell his country's nuclear reactors in India and the Middle East.
The French president emphasized at a press conference after the talks with Kan that development of nuclear power plants will never stop in spite of the problems in Fukushima Prefecture. Sarkozy also said he aimed to see new international safety standards on nuclear plants drafted by the end of this year through the G-8 summit talks and other international conferences.
He is apparently concerned that the current trouble might fuel movements against nuclear power generation around the world.
If the nuclear crisis worsens, it might have negative effects on France's nuclear-based energy policy.
Sarkozy also said France would like to offer Japan robots that can work in areas contaminated with radiation. Such robots could be used to carry out tasks that would otherwise involve exposing human workers to dangerous radiation levels.
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An international effort
The chief of nuclear power company Areva SA and a team of experts in the disposal of radioactive water also came to Japan from France.
A joint liaison and coordination council has already been established between Japan and its ally the United States. Under the council, task forces including experts of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission have been working on measures to get the nuclear situation under control as soon as possible.
The government and Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, should coordinate closely with each other to utilize assistance from abroad more efficiently.
"We are obliged to share this experience accurately with countries all over the world," said Kan. This is correct: The government must transmit information on the nuclear crisis accurately and speedily.
We hope that by bringing together the wisdom of the international community, a way can be found to overcome the crisis as soon as possible.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 1, 2011)
(Apr. 2, 2011)
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