25 March 2014
Japan will turn over nuclear materials to the US
Japan will turn over more than 700 pounds of weapons-grade plutonium and highly enriched uranium, estimated at 450 pounds, to the US. In the past, Iran has criticised Japan’s nuclear stockpiles as evidence of a double standard for trusted countries. Also, last month, China began to criticise Japan’s supply as well. However, the portion of stockpiles that Japan is handing over is only a fraction of Japan’s overall stockpile. Additionally, Japan plans to open up a new nuclear plant which could produce tons more per year, but the US has been urging Japan to abandon the programme. Regardless, Japan’s announcement is a success in President Obama’s push to secure the world’s most dangerous materials. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, a National Security Council official, regarding the agreement with Japan stated, ‘[t]his is the biggest commitment to remove fissile materials in the history of the summit process that President Obama launched, and it is a demonstration of Japan’s shared leadership on nonproliferation.’
Source: The New York Times | Japan to Let U.S. Assume Control of Nuclear Cache