Japan is asking Turkey to continue talks on a nuclear plant deal in the latter country, while confirming plans with the United States to strengthen their bilateral technical cooperation on atomic power.

It is extremely unlikely that Japan will choose to fully retire it’s nuclear fleet after the Fukushima disaster, as pressure from the United States and other parts of the nuclear industry is heavily pushing not only for the continued operation of nuclear power in Japan, but also the international distribution of Japanese technologies to nations just now capable of investing in nuclear.

In Japan, by assessing the response to the disaster, and the citizens constant battle to get officials to acknowledge and decontaminate hot spots, one could understand why voices around the world accuse the Japanese government and Utilities are choosing to desecrate the Earth with radioactive waste & radiation exposure to citizens and animals, and inflicting irreparable damage to the environment.

One important common thread between what the American, Japanese, and former Soviet Union authorities stated about the state of their nuclear programs after experiencing nuclear disasters, is the repeated reassurances that their nuclear power plants were absolutely safe. Instead of responding in a forthright and proper manner, each advanced nation’s leading experts were crippled by the burdens that were suddenly thrust on their shoulders.

The overtures contained in the dialogue from top Japanese officials still signal the government’s willingness to pursue the export of nuclear power technology as an economic boost while seeking to reduce domestic nuclear dependence in light of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. However, the Japanese are constantly reassured of international support for nuclear energy in Japan, but have also in multiple cases been put on the spot for an immediate answer regarding the future of its nuclear program, which could potentially affect other areas of international cooperation.

United States pushes Japan In a meeting this month, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu pressed Edano to explain Tokyo’s current stance on its atomic energy policy. Edano reassured that Japan intends to make use of its technology and knowledge of nuclear power in the international arena, while reducing its dependence on atomic plants for electricity generation at home. And in doing so, Edano also consoled the Americans stating the government will further promote Japan-U.S. cooperation. Japan Pushes Turkey Other moves made this week during talks between industry and trade minister Yukio Edano and his counterparts from Turkey and the U.S. in Paris on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting of the International Energy Agency clearly show the pressure is now on whether Turkey wants to continue the discussions. Edano asked Turkey’s energy minister, Taner Yildiz, to move the talks forward. “I would like you to continue (to positively) evaluate Japan’s technology,” he was quoted by Japanese officials as saying. Yildiz indicated he will consider the matter in a forward-looking manner, the officials said. Source: www.japantimes.co.jp, via @IWeissAU

Anyone who thinks that Japan is just going to ‘drop nuclear’ and walk away, should carefully inspect the comments that the nation’s leaders are making abroad, and in closed conferences with international leaders. It became clear to American officials in Japan very shortly after the disaster that the government had no clear grasp of the situation and was not getting a clear picture from TEPCO.

US and Japan Might Not Agree on Fukushima, But Nuclear Advocacy Remains Constant

American officials who were dealing with their Japanese counterparts, later revealed that the country’s political and bureaucratic leadership ‘appeared frozen in place, unwilling to communicate clearly about the scope of the problem and, in some cases, unwilling to accept outside assistance.’

For the next few weeks, the NRC’s assessment and responses to the nuclear disaster strongly contrasted, and were often contested by TEPCO and NISA officials.

Meanwhile, fallout from Japan’s crippled nuclear reactors was already being detected thousands of miles away in the United States less than 5 days after the earthquake and tsunami, but scientists repeatedly and robotically repeated that the amount of radioactivity should pose no danger to the United States.

Japanese American Alliance on Shaky Ground

The American-Japanese alliance has been one of the greatest successes of foreign policy, having risen from the ashes of a nuclear attack, into a 50 year period of American security from the west and prosperity from extending the advocacy of nuclear technology to the small island nation.

However, the United States being forced to come up with more created and effective ways to advocated the value of the alliance to the Japanese public, which is coping with the pent-up frustration of old problem, the American military presence in Japan, and now the new problem, the delinquent response of their government to a nuclear disaster beyond public comprehension.

The United States has continued invested interested in ensuring this alliance remains on course, as the decisions made in Japan have a direct effect in multiple other international nuclear programs.

There is also the concern that the abandonment of nuclear energy in Japan would also lessen the United States control at the negotiation table, potentially affecting its ability to advance its interests of maintaining a stable balance of power in East Asia, and the perpetual military platform and ally Japan has been for managing the risks from Korea and other nations.

Whatever the nuclear future holds for Japan, it is more likely that officials will succumb to the international pressure from sources they feel as peers, rather than the concerns and fears voiced by their own citizens. It also seems unlikely that there will be any formal international outcry for drastic reduction in Japan’s nuclear arsenal, as the message heard round the world is the same.

There is no need for concern. We all agree and repeat, there is no need for concern. (Well none that matters anyway)

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