Contact/Notification System on the Information related to the Safety of United States Nuclear-Powered Ships (Improvement Plan Taken by MOFA)

August 4, 2008

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has maintained a system under which MOFA contacts relevant government agencies including Prime Minister’s office and relevant local municipalities, pursuant to the notification system agreed by the related government agencies, in case MOFA receives notification from the U.S. side that there is a nuclear disaster accident related to a U.S. nuclear-powered ship does or is likely to occur. There has never been such a notification from the U.S. side.
However, given the lessons learned through the recent leakage case of coolant water from nuclear-powered submarine USS Houston, MOFA has decided that, from here on, MOFA will contact and inform relevant government agencies including Prime Minister’s office and relevant local municipalities without delay, by making use of the aforementioned notification system, whenever MOFA receives notification from the U.S. side that is related to the safety of a U.S. nuclear-powered ship, regardless of the seriousness of the matter, even if a nuclear accident has not occurred or is not likely to occur.

(END)