U.S. SUGGESTS MORE INVOLVEMENT IN FUKUSHIMA CLEANUP

Officials from the Department of Energy reiterated their suggestion on Monday that Japan engage U.S. private sector decommissioning companies to aid in the cleanup of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station. Tokyo Electric Power Company, the company responsible for the cleanup, has suffered notorious set backs in completing the decommissioning—most notably, leaks of contaminated water into the ocean, and many are calling for a more experienced approach to the site. The U.S.-Japan Bilateral Commission on Civil Nuclear Cooperation, a commission set up in 2012 to increase dialogue between the two nations concerning the Fukushima cleanup, met on Monday to discuss ways to increase cooperation between the two countries.  U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel B. Poneman and Japan’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Shinsuke Sugiyama led the discussion as co-chairs of the meeting. “On decommissioning and environmental management, the United States is committed to enhancing cooperation with Japan in the public sector through consultation and provision of guidance and information,” a fact sheet from the meeting said. “The United States encouraged Japan to further engage the expertise of the U.S. private sector in remediation efforts at the Fukushima NPS.”