Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology
The 13th Annual Japan-UK Nuclear Dialogue
January 21, 2025
- On October 31 2024, the Thirteenth Annual Japan-UK Nuclear Dialogue was held in a hybrid format in Tokyo, co-chaired by Ms. Mitsuko Hayashi, Deputy Director General, Ambassador, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. Chris Heffer, Director General, Nuclear Power, Infrastructure and Decommissioning, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, UK. Both countries exchanged opinions on their activities on the following topics;“Decommissioning, Waste Management and Environmental Remediation”, “Public Communications”, “Research and Development”, “Safety and Regulation”, and “Nuclear Policy”.
- On "Decommissioning, Waste Management and Environmental Remediation",both countries explained the updates on relevant policies in their respective countries and welcomed the long-running bilateral collaboration in this field. Both sides shared common challenges between the two countries in decommissioning and noted the opportunities to collaborate further in areas such as the supply-chain.
- On "Public Communications", each country discussed their public opinion on nuclear energy and efforts toward local communities. Japan explained the progress made since the last dialogue regarding the communication on the discharge of ALPS treated water into the sea from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and consequent improvement in public opinion, and expressed its appreciation for the UK’s understanding and support based on the scientific evidence. The two sides shared the importance of gaining understanding of nuclear energy, and concurred to continue to exchange opinions in this field.
- On "Research and Development", both countries presented respective progress of their R&D projects and shared the updates on the collaborative projects between the two countries such as High Temperature Gas Reactors (HTGRs). Both sides discussed the opportunities to enhance cooperation in a range of fields such as decommissioning, robotics, and fusion energy in addition to the collaboration between the two countries in R&D.
- On “Safety and Regulation”, both countries gave updates on their respective regulation and shared examples of bilateral cooperation including personnel exchanges between their regulatory authorities. The two countries also exchanged views on nuclear emergency response drill and systems regarding nuclear disaster, and concurred to strengthen nuclear safety through knowledge sharing.
- On “Nuclear Policy”, both countries explained their nuclear energy policies and deepened understanding on efforts related to new reactors, human resource development, supply chain, etc. Both countries also confirmed their commitment to Sapporo 5 toward a nuclear fuel supply chain that reduces reliance on Russia.
- Building on the discussions at this dialogue, further enhancement of cooperation between Japan and the UK in the broad field of nuclear energy is expected.
