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Japan, U.S. Discuss Cargo Screening
Washington and Tokyo are in discussions over potential implementation of a U.S. cargo-screening program at Japanese seaports, Kyodo News reported today (see GSN, Dec. 8). The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration would provide radiation detectors and training for Japanese personnel through the Megaports Initiative, which is aimed at preventing nuclear or radiological weapons from being smuggled into the United States. The system would be introduced first at the port in Nagoya, which is considered a good candidate for the test run because its shipments to North America mainly consist of automobiles, which are unlikely to trigger false alarms, officials said. Sensors could later be installed at other major ports such as Tokyo, Yokohama and Kobe, sources said. The two allies are continuing technical discussions because the U.S. detectors are highly sensitive and often result in false alarms. If the initiative is implemented, U.S. experts are likely to visit Japan to provide further technical guidance, according to Kyodo. The program is currently operating in the Netherlands, Greece, the Bahamas and Sri Lanka. The National Nuclear Security Administration has also reached basic agreement with 10 other countries and is engaged in negotiations with about 20 more (Kyodo News/Yahoo!News, April 3).
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