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P 122337Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
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INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 003095 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM-BRAUNOHLER, EAP/CM 
STATE FOR OES DAS MIOTKE 
STATE FOR S/SECC-STERN, S/P-GREEN 
USDOE FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY/MCGINNIS 
USDOE FOR NNSA/SCHEINMAN, GOOREVICH, WHITNEY 
STATE PASS TO NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (DOANE) 
USDOE FOR INTERNATIONAL/YOSHIDA, BISCONTI, HUANGFU 
USDOE FOR INTERNATIONAL 
NSC FOR HOLGATE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2019 
TAGS: ENERG ECON ETTC TRGY KNNP IAEA KTIA CVIS CH
SUBJECT: DOE DEPUTY SECRETARY DISCUSSES NEW NUCLEAR ENERGY 
FRAMEWORK WITH JAPAN'S AEC, CABINET OFFICE 
 
REF: BEIJING 2978 
 
Classified By: ESTH Counselor Brent Christensen. Reason 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
 ¶1.  (S) SUMMARY: Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Secretary 
(DEPSEC) Daniel Poneman met privately with Keisuke TSUMURA, 
the Parliamentary Secretary for Science and Technology in 
Japan's Cabinet Office, and Shunsuke KONDO, the Chairman of 
Japan,s Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), on the margins of 
the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) Ministerial 
meeting in Beijing on October 23.  The two sides discussed 
the U.S. proposal to construct an enhanced international 
framework for civil nuclear cooperation, including 
cradle-to-grave nuclear fuel management and supply services 
so that countries can access nuclear power without increasing 
the risks of proliferation. The proposal also calls for a 
renaming of GNEP to the International Nuclear Energy 
Framework (INEF). Japanese officials said more discussion was 
needed to ensure fair and equitable business models were 
established for commercial fuel cycle providers.  Tsumura 
also asked DEPSEC to confirm that the U.S. proposal would not 
impact Japan's fuel cycle and reprocessing activities.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (S) Following DEPSEC's opening remarks and an explanation 
of the U.S. Administration's thinking on nonproliferation and 
the future of GNEP, Tsumura responded by noting that Japan's 
new Administration hopes to construct an even stronger 
partnership regarding nuclear-related issues; nevertheless, 
Tsumura expressed concern over how the U.S. proposal will be 
implemented and asked the DEPSEC to confirm that there will 
be no impact on Japan's fuel cycle and reprocessing 
activities. The DEPSEC reiterated that efforts to enhance and 
rename GNEP would not affect Japan's fuel cycle and made 
clear that no one was asking Japan to reconsider 
reprocessing, as a 1993 U.S. proposal had done. 
 
¶3.  (S) Japanese officials also asked for more specifics 
regarding proposed business models for fuel cycle activities 
and stated that commercial opportunities should be divided 
equitably among fuel cycle providers.  The DEPSEC said that 
multiple commercial suppliers will be essential to providing 
a sense of security to countries concerned with reliable 
access to fuel supplies, but ultimately it is the 
responsibility of governments to secure and protect "used 
fuel" and ensure public safety. Therefore, individual 
governments must strongly state their intent to take 
responsibility over the long term--particularly the back-end 
of the fuel cycle--to reassure private fuel providers that 
they do not have to worry about what to do with the fuel when 
it is used up. Tsumura acknowledged the need for strong 
government involvement and said he looked forward to 
discussing the results of a U.S. blue ribbon panel, which the 
DEPSEC said will be convened soon to devise new ways of 
 
BEIJING 00003095  002 OF 002 
 
 
thinking about fuel cycle and reprocessing activities. 
HUNTSMAN