DEMARCHE ON INCLUSION OF LANGUAGE SUPPORTIVE OF

UNCLAS TOKYO 002535 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KNNP IAEA ENRG TRGY AORC JA SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON INCLUSION OF LANGUAGE SUPPORTIVE OF THE CONVENTION ON SUPPLEMENTARY COMPENSATION FOR NUCLEAR DAMAGE IN THE 2008 IAEA GENERAL CONFERENCE SAFETY RESOLUTION REF: SECSTATE 97588 ¶1. (U) Please see GOJ request for information at the end of para 3. ¶2. (SBU) Energy Attache delivered nonpaper in ref to MEXT Director for Atomic Energy Tomohiro Yamano, the GOJ lead official on CSC matters, September 16. Yamano noted that Tokyo had received the draft IAEA General Conference Safety Resolution with the proposed U.S. text and would send a formal reply "today or tomorrow." While the U.S. text was still under review, Yamano offered his view that while Japan might not accept the U.S. position entirely, it also wouldn't reject it out of hand. Rather, he suggested the Japanese response might be to make a more general reference to nuclear liability regimes while citing the CSC as an example. ¶3. (SBU) Regarding Japan's internal consideration of the CSC, Yamano reiterated previous GOJ statements that Japan is taking steps to consider whether to join the CSC. The Government expects to submit an updated nuclear liability law to the next general session of the Diet in early calendar ¶2009. Discussions on the CSC will continue on a separate track and progress is being made slowly, Yamano said. Among the factors being considered are how Japanese domestic law might have to be amended in order to join the CSC, industry views, and what other countries like China and the ROK may decide. Regarding the views of Japanese industry, Yamano noted that no Japanese company had come forward in support of joining the CSC. Yamano also asked if the U.S. could provide any report on discussions with China and the ROK, and he requested an update on the status of U.S. rulemaking for CSC implementation. SCHIEFFER