Japan to shut down crippled Fukushima nuclear plant by end of 2011

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- Japenese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told the United Nations' (UN) General Assembly on Friday that the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant will be fully shut down by the end of the year.

Noda said Japan was making steady progress in stabilizing the nuclear power plant damaged by the massive earthquake and catastrophic tsunami which hit the country in March, but a number of challenges remain, including the removal of debris and restoring the livelihoods of people in the affected region.

At the Assembly's general debate in New York, Noda said the country was currently focusing on efforts to move up the existing target period to achieve a cold shutdown of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant by the end of the year.

"Although some countries, regrettably, are still imposing undue restrictions on imports from Japan, our Government will continue to provide prompt and accurate information on this matter, with transparency," Noda stated, requesting that all countries "make sound judgements based upon scientific evidence."

In addition, the Japanese Prime Minister announced that the country would hold an international conference next year in the Tohoku region that was struck by the earthquake and tsunami in an effort to boost international cooperation on responding to natural disasters.

The country will also co-host with the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) a second international conference next year to share the results of the overall assessment of the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, as a contribution to the various measures taken by the international community to raise the standards of nuclear energy safety.

Noda also stated that Japan is pursuing a growth path that promotes low-carbon technologies and a transition to a greener economy. "The key to achieving these goals is technological innovation in the areas of renewable energy, energy saving and clean use of fossil fuels," Noda said, also stating that the first lesson from Japan's recent tragedy is the importance of international cooperation in disaster risk reduction.

On the UN's peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Noda said Japan was ready to support the mission and announced that his country is preparing to send military officers to serve in it, as well as a Japanese military engineering unit.

On the drought-induced humanitarian emergency in the Horn of Africa, Noda said that Japan had already disbursed about $100 million in assistance. He also announced that Japan will support reforms and democratization efforts in North Africa and the Middle East, saying Tokyo will provide the equivalent of $1 billion in loans to fund infrastructure and industrial development projects as a way of boosting employment and human resource development.

Saturday, September 24th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/news/japan-to-shut-down-crippled-fukushima-nuclear-plant-by-end-of-2011.html.