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bananas

(27,509 posts)
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:44 PM Apr 2013

U.S. officials concerned about Japan's plan to reprocess nuclear fuel

http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/04/us-officials-concerned-about-japans-plan-reprocess-nuclear-fuel

U.S. officials concerned about Japan's plan to reprocess nuclear fuel

TOKYO, April 22 (Kyodo)—Some U.S. government officials and experts have strong concerns about Japan's plan to operate a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori to retract plutonium while most of the nation's reactors remain shut down, a member of the government's Japan Atomic Energy Commission said Monday.

"It was an unprecedentedly severe reaction," Tatsujiro Suzuki, the commission's vice chairman, told reporters after a commission meeting, referring to U.S. officials' comments during his trip to the United States in early April.

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Suzuki quoted U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Countryman as saying that if Japan conducts nuclear spent fuel reprocessing while its profitability remains unclear, there is a chance that Japan's international reputation may be significantly damaged.

Countryman was also quoted as saying that Japan's reprocessing work could affect Iran and other countries with nuclear ambitions.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman was quoted by Suzuki as saying that he has great concern that Japan may possess a large inventory of plutonium without plans to consume it.

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Source: The Associated Press
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