US, Japan to Set Up "Bilateral Commission on Civil Nuclear Cooperation"

The "Fact Sheet" attached to the Joint Statement by the US president and the visiting Japanese prime minister says the two country will set up a joint commission that "foster comprehensive strategic dialogue and joint activities related to the safe and secure implementation of civil nuclear energy and the response to the accident such as decommissioning and decontamination".

When the word "safe" and the word "secure" are written side by side, I tend to be suspicious these days. That's what the governments of all sizes in Japan have said in just about every communication about the radiation and contamination since the March 11, 2011 nuclear accident - ”安全・安心”　safe and secure, or secure and safe.

"Atoms for peace". Certain things never change between the fast allies, nuclear accident or not.

From the White House press release (4/30/2012; emphasis is mine):

Bilateral Commission on Civil Nuclear Cooperation: Building on the close U.S.-Japan cooperation following Japan’s March 2011 nuclear accident, Japan and the United States will establish a high-level Bilateral Commission on Civil Nuclear Cooperation to further strengthen our work in this field. The Commission will foster comprehensive strategic dialogue and joint activities related to the safe and secure implementation of civil nuclear energy and the response to the accident such as decommissioning and decontamination. The Commission is to coordinate more robust research and development exchanges in areas which may include nuclear energy, safety, and security, environmental management, and nonproliferation. It builds upon our March 2012 agreement on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy R&D, and also supports the commitments made by both countries at the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit. It is anticipated that the Commission will hold its first meeting at the earliest mutually convenient date. Japan and the United States will work for the success of the Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety held by Japan in co-sponsorship with the IAEA in December this year.

March 2012 agreement on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy R&D?

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