US/JAPAN NONPRO/SECURITY COOPERATION:NNSA

UNCLAS TOKYO 002575 SIPDIS DOE FOR NA-1 D'AGOSTINO, NA-20 BAKER, NA-24 WHITNEY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG KNNP JA SUBJECT: US/JAPAN NONPRO/SECURITY COOPERATION:NNSA ADMINISTRATOR'S MEETING WITH MEXT DEPUTY MINISTER MORIGUCHI, OCTOBER 26 ¶1. UNCLASSIFIED -- entire message. ¶2. Summary. On October 26, on the margins of the Second International Meeting on Next Generation Safeguards, NNSA Administrator Tom D'Agostino met Yasutaka Moriguchi, Deputy Minister of Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT),who proposed a new framework agreement for security and nonproliferation cooperation. Moriguchi initially expressed interest in attempting to finalize an agreement in time for President Obama's visit to Japan in November, although MEXT staff later clarified that the ministry would like to get a positive statement from the President and Prime Minister Hatoyama about a possible new agreement. End summary. ¶3. NNSA Administrator D'Agostino met with MEXT Deputy Minister Moriguchi during the Second International Meeting on Next Generation Safeguards, in Tokai-mura, Japan, on October ¶26. The Administrator stressed the unique role that Japan can play in advance of the Nuclear Security Summit next year. He expressed appreciation for Japanese leadership, noting that Japan will host the sherpa meeting in December. With the Security Summit coming up, the Administrator said he was particularly interested in pursuing an expanded technical dialogue between NNSA and MEXT, to include exchanging views on the attractiveness of various nuclear materials and corresponding protection levels, development of common standards, and transportation security. ¶4. Moriguchi expressed respect for U.S. leadership in proposing the Security Summit. MEXT will support preparations for the Summit, although he pointed out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has the lead for the GOJ. While noting that the United States and Japan currently have regular discussions on physical protection and safeguards, Moriguchi agreed it is necessary to have further technical dialogue on nuclear security matters and he promised to seriously consider the NNSA proposal and to coordinate with both MOFA and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which regulates Japan's commercial nuclear industry. ¶5. Moriguchi then presented his own proposal for a new framework between MEXT and NNSA for expanded cooperation on nonproliferation and security technology. In particular, the new framework would provide for joint technology development cooperation in nuclear materials measurement and detection technology, nuclear forensics, human resources development, and technical support in nonproliferation, safeguards, and nuclear security to Asian countries with emerging nuclear power programs. He went on to suggest the proposed MEXT/NNSA framework as a possible deliverable for President Obama's upcoming visit to Japan. Without committing to any specific timeframe for achieving an agreement, the Administrator expressed interest in the MEXT proposal and offered to respond after consulting in Washington. 7, Subsequent to the meeting, MEXT staff who had attended the meeting with the Deputy Minister agreed that it was unrealistic to seek an actual agreement in time for the President's visit to Japan. Rather, the staff explained, the goal would be to seek a positive statement by the President and Prime Minister regarding the desirability of expanded cooperation under a new agreement between MEXT and NNSA. ¶8. The Administrator cleared this message subsequent to his departure from Japan. ROOS