JAPAN, RUSSIA LIKELY TO CONCLUDE NUCLEAR AGREEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 001009 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/J, ISN/NESS (RICHARD STRATFORD) DEPT PLEASE PASS DOE FOR OFFICE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2019 TAGS: PARM ENRG PREL TRGY MNUC PUNE RU JA SUBJECT: JAPAN, RUSSIA LIKELY TO CONCLUDE NUCLEAR AGREEMENT DURING PUTIN'S VISIT Classified By: CDA James P. Zumwalt for reasons 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (C) Summary: Japan and Russia likely will conclude a bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement in May during the planned visit of Prime Minister Putin to Tokyo. Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) officials and a Russian Embassy contact indicate an agreement is in the final stages of negotiation and both sides want to sign it during Putin's visit. MOFA will know by May 7 if the agreement can be signed. End Summary. ¶2. (C) The MOFA International Nuclear Energy Cooperation Division Principal Deputy Director Zentaro Naganuma told Econoff April 28 Japan and Russia have nearly concluded negotiations on their bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement, which they likely will sign during PM Putin's visit to Tokyo May 11-12. Naganuma noted MOFA had been in close contact with the U.S. on this issue as recently as March, but welcomed the chance to provide an additional update. ¶3. (C) According to Naganuma, the only significant issue remaining is resolving differences between the English and Russian texts of the agreement. While both sides recognize the English version as authoritative, MOFA is concerned about the wording of the Russian text since they expect it will be widely used by Russian counterparts. Naganuma described the resolution of outstanding differences as "not insignificant", but noted MOFA wants to get the negotiations concluded. Similarly, Russian Embassy Second Secretary (Political) Andrey Savinov, a contact for nuclear and non-proliferation issues, told Econoff on April 20 that Russia "very much wants" to conclude the agreement during Putin's visit. ¶4. (C) Given required logistical arrangements for a signing ceremony, MOFA has set May 7 as an internal deadline for concluding negotiations. Naganuma agreed to inform the Embassy as soon as possible of the outcome. If the agreement cannot be concluded, MOFA will use Putin's visit to announce Japan and Russia have agreed on all substantive issues for the bilateral agreement. ¶5. (C) Naganuma noted MOFA is happy with the agreement's content, as Russia has agreed to include all the requirements MOFA had requested. These points include provisions related to equipment, nuclear material, and transportation. For instance, nuclear material must be placed at facilities eligible for IAEA safeguards. If a given facility is not safeguarded, Russia has agreed to take supplementary measures at that facility. Also, in the case of a violation by Russian government or business entities, Japan has the authority, following certain procedures, to suspend cooperation or even terminate the agreement. ZUMWALT