The 12th FNCA Ministerial Level Meeting (MM) was held at the Mita Conference Hall in Tokyo, Japan on December 16, 2011, and hosted by the Japan Atomic Energy Commission and the Cabinet Office of Japan. The Meeting was attended by ministerial level representatives (5 ministers, 2 vice ministers, the Directors of the Nuclear Administrative Agencies) from 12 member countries: the Commonwealth of Australia, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Republic of the Philippines, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.
Dr. Shunsuke KONDO, Chairman of Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC), opened the meeting. Mr. Goshi HOSONO, Minister of State for the Nuclear Power Policy and Administration, Cabinet Office of Japan, delivered the welcoming remarks, in which he expressed his sympathy for Thailand on the extraordinary flood and his appreciation for the support and expression of sympathy for the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Chairman Dr. Kondo proposed the agenda of the meeting and it was adopted without any modification.
In Sessions II, each of the twelve participating countries delivered their Country Report, focusing on public opinion about nuclear energy, the current status and future plan of nuclear power generation, and radiation application as well as the suggestion to enhance FNCA activities. The Indonesian Country Report included the offer of Indonesia to host the next FNCA Ministerial Level Meeting in 2012.
In Session III titled as "Reports of the FNCA Activities", two reports were given. Firstly Dr. Sueo MACHI, FNCA Coordinator of Japan, reported the overview and the progress of FNCA Projects including closed and new projects, and proposed the Work Plan. The report was accepted with the MM's appreciation of Dr. Machi's tireless effort in coordinating the FNCA activities.
Secondly Dr. Akira OMOTO, Commissioner of JAEC, reported the summary of the meeting of "the 3rd Study Panel on Infrastructure Development for Nuclear Power" held in Jakarta in July 2011, in his capacity as the Panel Chairperson .. He reminded the MM that the meeting was the first Panel Meeting after the TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, and the information on the accident, actions taken and the lessons learned from the accident was shared among the participants. He reported the kind support of Indonesia to the Meeting. He concluded his report by the announcement that the next Panel Meeting is planned in Thailand, indicating that the topics for future panel study could include: siting, licensing, emergency preparedness and response in the country and region and regional cooperation in it, nuclear liability, extended demand for infrastructure if any, country status with regards to nuclear power, project funding, continued dialogue on formation of nuclear energy policy in the post-Fukushima era. The MM accepted his report with appreciation to his endeavor to have a study panel on the timely topic.
In Session IV served as Special Session on the -TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident, Dr. Akira OMOTO reported the lessons learned from the accident concerning enhancement of nuclear safety, safety regulation, safety culture, and workable and effective management against severe accidents, and emergency management.. Mr. Junichiro ISHIDA of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) reported the decontamination activities being conducted by JAEA aiming environmental restoration of Fukushima, including preliminary results such as the reduction of dose level above the ground to 1/10 to 1/20 by removing the soil of 5 cm in depth from surface. Mr. Noriyuki SHIKATA, Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Public Affairs, reported the risk communication efforts taken by Global Communications Office of Prime Minister since the occurrence of the accident. He concluded his talk, emphasizing the importance of developing human resource for science communicators as one of the lessons learned from his activity during past nine months. During the discussion period, the MM shared the view that transparency, international information sharing and international cooperation including IAEA were important. Kazakhstan announced that the country is ready to share the 20 years experiences of converting the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site territory into commercial area with Japan.
In session V served as Round Table Discussion on Development of Infrastructure for Human Resource and Public Information, three lead speeches were delivered and followed by discussions. Dr. Kibog Lee, Director of Nuclear Education and Training Center of Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, introduced the Korean activities for developing the infrastructure. He pointed out the importance of networking the existing activities for education and training in global community as synergy effects can be expected from the networking. Ms. Etsuko AKIBA, Commissioner of JAEC, introduced the results of the Japanese public opinion survey on nuclear -utilization and grass-roots activities for public information about energy policy in Japan. She pointed out the importance of interactive communication among experts and general public. Dr. Sueo MACHI introduced the direction and challenge of the FNCA Infrastructure Development Projects, which are Nuclear Safety Management System, Radiation Safety and Waste Management, Human Resource Development, and Nuclear Security and Safeguard. During the discussion, China introduced the establishment of the International Training Center for safe construction of nuclear power plants in China. The Chairman concluded the session, emphasizing the importance of continuous efforts to remove the fear for nuclear energy.
In session VI served as Round Table Discussion of Cooperation for Further Promotion of Radiation and Isotope Applications, Dr. Sueo MACHI proposed in his lead speech that the efforts should be enhanced in the technology transfer of FNCA projects not only to the people in nuclear field but also to the end-users in the fields of agriculture, medical service and other industries. He concluded his talk, expressing his expectation that new host countries will start FNCA projects. In response, Malaysia expressed the support for the whole activities. Indonesia expressed the interest in research reactor network, and the Philippines expressed the interest in the projects of agriculture, cyclotron and nano-technology.
In session VII, Dr. Shunsuke KONDO introduced a draft resolution of the 12th FNCA Ministerial Level Meeting. The MM discussed the draft resolution and adopted it after minor modifications. Dr. Kondo also introduced a draft of the summary of the meeting. The MM discussed the draft and asked the Chair to complete it, reflecting comments from the member countries as soon as possible after the meeting.
In the Closing Session, Dr. Shunsuke KONDO gave a short closing speech and the representative of Indonesia invited Ministers to the next FNCA MM in Jakarta. The MM appreciated the invitation.
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