Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan has joined other countries in issuing a statement that says they will “work collaboratively to facilitate the safe and secure utilization of civilian nuclear reactors.”

The statement on the Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) was issued at the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in New York.

The FIRST program provides the foundation for partner countries to take advantage of advanced nuclear technologies and upcoming innovations in reactor design to meet their energy security and climate goals and to do so consistent with the highest international standards of and guidance for safety, security, and nonproliferation.

It was launched in 2020 by the U.S. Department of State for small modular reactors (SMRs). FIRST is designed to strengthen strategic cooperation in the nuclear energy field.

The joint statement was issued by Estonia, Ghana, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States. 

It stated: “Our countries share a strong commitment to realize the benefits of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes consistent with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons(NPT).  We reiterate the inalienable right of NPT States Parties to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.”

“Our countries welcome safe and secure growth in nuclear power and we recognize that nuclear energy not only provides clean energy supply, but also supports local job growth, energy security, air pollution and carbon reduction goals, and global clean technology innovation.”