In April 1993 the Japanese government
pledged to give the former Soviet Union $100 million to aid in the dismantlement
of nuclear weapons. Of this total, $70 million was appropriated for
Russia.[1] This sum was later increased to 25 billion yen (approximately
$208 million).
On 13 October 1993 Russian Foreign Minister Andrey Kozyrev
and Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Tsutoma Hata signed an aid agreement
that outlined several areas of cooperation between the two countries.[2] First among these was the building of tens of thousands of storage containers
for Russian weapons-grade plutonium. At a cost of $2,000 to $5,000 each,
the containers were to be built to Russian specifications and used to transport
plutonium within Russia and store it at the Mayak
Production Association in Ozersk, the Siberian
Chemical Combine (SKHK, Tomsk-7), and the Mining
and Chemical Combine (GKHK, Krasnoyarsk-26). Additionally, Japan was bidding
to take part in the construction of the facility at Mayak for the long-term
storage of plutonium.[5] A second area of cooperation concerned transportation safety. Japan has provided Russia with machinery and emergency equipment such as radiation detectors, radios,
and personal computers to prevent or contain accidents should they occur
during the transportation of nuclear warheads in Russia.[1,8] A third area
of cooperation was designated as the treatment of radioactive waste. To avoid
the dumping of low-level liquid radioactive waste in the Sea
of Japan, Japan provided
Russia with a floating liquid radioactive waste treatment plant for use at the Zvezda
Far Eastern Shipyard in Bolshoy Kamen. The plant, called Landysh,
was constructed at the Amurskiy Sudostroitelnyy
Zavod in Komsomolsk-na-Amure, and floated down to Bolshoy Kamen in the fall
of 1997.[3,10] The Landysh facility was
officially opened on 22 November 2001.[12] The facility cost 4.2 billion yen
(over $34 million as of 22 November 2001).[13] In 1993, it was estimated that
operating the plant would cost $3.4 million per year. Japan has pledged
to underwrite only the first year of operation, after which Russia will
have to provide the financing.[3] The plant will be able to process 7000 cubic meters of liquid radioactive
waste per year. [1,3,4] (See also the discussion in the Naval
Nuclear Reactors Foreign Assistance and
Landysh
sections.)
Additionally, Japan is supplying Minatom with various equipment and machinery
including some that will aid Russia in the environmentally safe draining
and disposal of liquid rocket fuel.[9]
The Japanese are also aiding Russia
in areas concerning nuclear power plant safety. In June 1996 Japan installed
a new training system, an exact replica of Unit 4 at the Balakovo plant,
at the Novovoronezh Training
Center. The system closely resembles the pressurized light-water reactors
(VVER-1000) that are used in Russia and can simulate up to a thousand variations
in operating conditions, including accidents.[1,6] It was designed and
developed between 1993 and 1996 under a Russian-Japanese cooperation program.
The joint project was initiated by a bilateral agreement on 22 June 1993.[6,9]
The total cost of the training system was ECU 19.7 million (about $15.5 million,
as of 30 July 1996).[7] Additionally,
Japan is developing a sophisticated monitoring system that uses microphones
to detect water leaks from reactor pipes. As of 1993, the system was being installed
and tested at the Leningrad
Nuclear Power Plant.[1] An agreement to develop such systems was signed
with Russia on 12 November 1993 and the Japanese government allocated
$8 million for the project.[9]
A third measure that Japan has undertaken to improve
nuclear safety in Russia has been to initiate a training project called
the "1000 Trainees Program." Begun in 1992, the goal of this
program is to train 1000 managers, maintenance personnel, and nuclear power
plant designers from the former Soviet Union (FSU) within ten years. [1]
These individuals, who go to Japan for training, are responsible for the
safe operation of power plants throughout the FSU. In addition
to sponsoring this project, Japan also takes part in the training project
of the International Nuclear Safety Program (INSP). In this program nuclear
technicians from the FSU and Eastern Europe go to Japan to be trained in
the safe operation of nuclear power plants and the control of nuclear waste.
By the end of FY 1996 approximately 37 Russians had participated in this
program with Japan. Additionally, Japanese experts have visited Russia
to exchange information and opinions about nuclear reactor operation safety
and control of radioactive wastes.[1]
Japan has also provided the Nuclear
Safety Account of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(EBRD) with financial and technical assistance. This fund sponsors a multilateral
effort to improve the safety of the Kola,
Novovoronezh,
and Leningrad nuclear power
plants.[1] Finally, Japan has provided some staff and technical assistance
to the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) and to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
in an effort.[1]
Japan was a charter member of the
International
Science and Technology Center (ISTC). This organization provides
some of the nuclear scientists of the FSU with employment and hence reduces
the risk of "brain drain" out of the FSU. Japan has committed at
least $19.28 million for 73 projects since the center was established in
March 1994 .
In January 2003, Japan and Russia issued the Japan-Russian Action Plan, which
included an outline of future nuclear assistance plans. As a first step in
implementing the plan, in February 2003 Japan signed an agreement to dismantle a
Victor III nuclear-powered attack submarine as part of a project Japan has named
the "Star of Hope."
Japan spent $8 million for the
dismantlement, which was completed in December 2004.[14]
In January 2005, Russia
and Japan discussed plans to begin the dismantlement of an additional five Russian
nuclear-powered attack submarines in Russian's Pacific Fleet. Japan has
pledged $40 million for the projects. Of the five
attack submarines designated for dismantlement, one is a Skat class (NATO name
Charlie-1) vessel located in Kamchatka. The other four are Shchuka class (NATO
name Victor III) boats located on the
Shkotovo Peninsula.[14,15] For more information on Japan's assistance in the
naval sphere, please see the database
section on Russia's naval
reactors foreign assistance. Sources: [1] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Japan Website, http://www2.nttca.com:8010/infomofa/jr/assist/other.html [2] Naoaki Usui, "Japan, Russia
Sign Pact," Nucleonics Week, 14 October 1993, p. 13. [3] James Clay Moltz, "Trip Report:
Conditions
At Bolshoy Kamen And Problems Of CTR Implementation," CNS,
February 1996. [4] Kazak Radio Network (Almaty),
3/11/94; in "Kazakhstan-Japan Agreement On Nuclear Weapons Dismantling," JPRS-TND-94-007, 23 March 1994,
p. 26. [5] "Japan to help store plutonium,"
Nuclear
Engineering International, June 1997, p. 4. [6] "S takim tranazherom atom ne
strashon," Rossiyskaya Gazeta, 30 July 1996, p. 1. [7] Working Document to the Scientific
and Technological Options Assessment Panel of the European Parliament,
"Nuclear Safeguards and Nuclear Safety in the East," November 1996, p.
44. [8] Takekazu Kawamura, "Japan's
Role in Dismantling Russian N-Weapons," Plutonium, spring 1997,
no. 17 p. 6. [9] "Russia's Cooperation with
the Nuclear Summit Participants: the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany,
Italy, Canada, and Japan," International Affairs, 1996, vol. 42,
no. 3, pp. 48-49. {Entered 3/1/98, PBI}
[10] Yuriy Grachev, ITAR-TASS,
20 March 1995; in "Pacific Fleet Starts Radioactive Waste Disposal," JPRS-TEN-95-006,
26 May 1995, p. 58. [11] NISNP staff interview with
Japanese Foreign Ministry official, Tokyo, December 1997. {Updated 7/25/2000 CC} [12] "Japan Supplies Facility for Recycling Liquid
Radioactive Wastes to Russia," Interfax, 22 November 2001.
[13] Kyodo, 22 November 2001; in "Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility Completed in
Russia," FBIS Document JPP20011122000122.{Updated 8/26/2002 CC}
[14] "Japan to Assist Russia Scrap
Decommissioned Submarines," BBC Monitoring International Reports, 13 January
2005.
[15] "Proshchay, oruzhiye!
Rossiya i Yaponiya dogovorilis ob utilizatsii pyati atomnykh submarin.
Odna iz nikh – na Kamchatke," Vesti,15 January 2005; in Integrum Techno,
http://www.integrum.ru. {Entered 16/2/2005 WDP}
11/15/2003: VICTOR III DISMANTLEMENT DISCUSSED BY RUSSIA AND JAPAN On 15 November 2003, Interfax reported on the 19th meeting of the
Russian-Japanese Committee on Cooperation to Assist in Eliminating Nuclear Weapons Subject to Reduction in the Russian Federation that took place on 14 November 2003 in Moscow. The Committee Governing Council confirmed the conclusion of the Victor III submarine dismantlement contract with Zvezda. The agreement was signed on 28 June 2003. However, its conclusion was delayed by Japanese concerns over liability issues from August until November. For more information see 2/16/2003 entry,
below. ["RF i Yaponiya obsudili proyekt demontazha rossiyskoy atomnoy podvodnoy lodki," Interfax, 15 November 2003.] {Entered 1/16/2004 AV}
2/16/2003: JAPAN AND RUSSIA TO BEGIN DISMANTLING VICTOR III SSN At a 16 February 2003 meeting of the Russian-Japanese Committee
on Cooperation to Assist in Eliminating Nuclear Weapons Subject to Reduction in
the Russian Federation, the two countries agreed to begin dismantling one Shchuka [NATO
name 'Victor III'] class SSN in the near future.
Japan pledged to modernize the Smolyaninovo-Bolshoy Kamen railway in order to ensure the secure
transport of spent nuclear materials. These measures are a step forward in
achieving the goals of the joint Russian-Japanese plans adopted during the
January 2003 visit of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Moscow.[1,2,3]
[For the text of the Japan-Russia Action Plan, see
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/russia/pmv0301/plan.html.] Sources:
[1] Natalya Gudzenko, "Rossiya i Yaponiya dogovorilis v blizhayshee vremya
nachat raboty po proektu utilizatsii odnoy atomnoy podvodnoy lodki klassa
'Viktor III'," ITAR-TASS, 17 February 2003; in Integrum Techno,
http://www.integrum.com/.
[2] "On the 16th Meeting of the Board of Russian-Japanese Cooperation Committee
for Assistance in the Field of Nuclear Weapons Liquidation," Nuclear.ru,
http://www.nuclear.ru, 17
February 2003.
[3] "Russia and Japan Agreed to Sign Shortly a Victor III NS Disposition
Contract," Nuclear.ru,
http://www.nuclear.ru/, 18 February 2003. {Entered 3/18/03 SLK}
1/11/2003: JAPAN PLEDGES
FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR RUSSIAN PLUTONIUM DISPOSITION During a speech given at the
Kurchatov
Institute on 11 January 2003, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi declared Japan's intent to allocate $100 million to the disposition of
Russian plutonium under the US-Russian Plutonium Disposition Program.
Koizumi expressed hope that Japan's contribution might further research
cooperation between Japan and Russia on the development of plutonium recycling
technologies. ["Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Speech during the International Scientists
Conference at the Russian Research Center Kurchatov Institute on 11 Jan 03,"
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 11 January 2003; in "Koizumi's Speech at
Russian Research Center on DPRK Nuclear Issue, Bilateral Ties," FBIS Document
JPP20030113000029.] {Entered 4/2/2003 CB}
1/10/2003: JAPAN ISSUES
JAPAN-RUSSIA ACTION PLAN
On 10 January 2003, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Japan-Russia Action
Plan, a document reviewing Japan's assistance programs and outlining plans for
future assistance in the nuclear and other spheres. The plan can be
accessed at
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/russia/pmv0301/plan.html.[1,2] Sources:
[1] Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web Site,
http://www.mofa.go.jp. [2] Joint Statement by Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro
Koizumi and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin Concerning the
Adoption of a Japan-Russia Action Plan, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web Site,
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/russia/pmv0301/joint.html. {Entered
7/17/03 CC}
6/27/2002: JAPAN COMMITS TO GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP AGAINST THE SPREAD OF WMD
On 27 June 2002, the G8 issued a statement outlining a new initiative, entitled
the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass
Destruction (for more information on this initiative, see the
G8 information in the International Assistance
file).
According to the Japanese press, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
pledged $200 million for the
initiative, although intense U.S. lobbying was reportedly required to secure
Japan's endorsement of the
partnership.[1] A Japanese Foreign Ministry source suggests that currently
Japan is ready to spend $250 million on
nonproliferation in the former Soviet Union. Of this sum, $150 million is money
that was previously pledged but not
yet expended, while $100 is new money likely to be earmarked for an
international plutonium disposition project
and the BN-600 fast neutron reactor at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant, which
is being converted to dispose of
plutonium by burning mixed-oxide, or MOX, fuel fabricated from weapons-origin
plutonium.[2] One Japanese
official complained that the Global Partnership figure of $20 billion was
arrived at in an arbitrary manner, and that
the manner in which the funds were to be spent remained unspecified, while other
officials questioned President
Bush's eagerness to provide Russia with this assistance.[1] However, Japan may
find itself unwilling to provide
more funding if problems with existing Japanese projects are not resolved.
Koizumi is dissatisfied with Russia's
level of cooperation on ongoing nonproliferation projects funded by Japan, while
the Japanese Diet has also voiced
its opposition to the foreign assistance programs. While Japan originally
assigned 25 billion yen (approximately
$208 million) to these projects, 16.5 billion yen worth of projects are yet to
be implemented due to Russia's
unwillingness to disclose certain information and other reasons.[3] In July
2002, Japan dispatched auditors to
Russia and Kazakhstan to ascertain the causes of delays in implementation of
nonproliferation projects. Only one
Japanese-funded project (the Landysh processing facility for low-level liquid
radioactive waste from nuclear
submarines, for which 4.2 billion yen were allocated) has been completed,
although with great delays.[4] Japanese
officials have reportedly insisted on not spending additional funds on Russian
nonproliferation projects until Russia
establishes an effective system for administering them. Public revelations of
problems with Russian assistance
programs have had a negative effect on Japanese public support of the
programs.[1] Much of the $200 million
pledge, therefore, appears to represent previously allocated but not yet spent
funds, rather than new funding. Sources:
[1] "Japan to sweeten Russia arms proposal," Asahi News Service, 29
June 2002;
in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, http://www.lexis-nexis.com.
[2] Communication from Japanese Foreign Ministry official, 29 July 2002.
[3] "Japan offers $200 mil. for nonproliferation project," Kyodo News Wire,
26 June 2002; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe,
http://www.lexis-nexis.com.
[4] "Japan auditors probe
Tokyo-Moscow nuclear decommissioning aid programme," Kyodo
News Wire, 11 July 2002; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe,
http://www.lexis-nexis.com.
Page last updated 19 April 2005
Comments or questions? Contact Contact Cristina Chuen at MIIS CNS: Cristina.ChuenATmiis.edu
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