Trump says he will announce raft of new trade tariffs    Indian security forces kill 31 Maoist rebels    Bodies of migrants found in Libya mass grave, authorities say    Olaf Scholz says EU can act 'in an hour' if Donald Trump imposes tariffs on bloc    Eagles win Super Bowl LIX to end the Chiefs' dream of a three-peat    Chinese film stirs national pride, rakes in $1bn in days    Saudi Arabia attracts $14.9 billion investments in AI as LEAP25 kicks off in Riyadh    Cold weather continues hitting most Saudi regions as Turaif records lowest temperature with minus 2°C    Saudi Crown Prince and IOC President discuss aspects of enhancing cooperation    Saudi, Argentinean foreign ministers discuss regional developments    Saudi, Ukrainian FMs discuss Ukrainian-Russian crisis in phone call    CyberArrow grows regional presence by expanding operations in Saudi Arabia    How amana helps traders and investors in MENA build wealth    Trump rules out deporting Prince Harry, cites marital troubles as reason for leniency    Sharifa Al-Sudairi makes historic debut at Asian Winter Games    Jaecoo J8 launches in Saudi Arabia, marking a new milestone in the Middle Eastern off-road market    Ivan Toney's brace secures Al Ahli victory over Al Fateh in Saudi Pro League    Al Nassr reclaims third place with 3-0 victory over Al Fayha as Jhon Durán shines    Salvador Dalí art comes to India for the first time    GEA hosts mass wedding of 300 couples at "Night of a Lifetime" celebration during Riyadh Season 300 cars and housing as gifts for the newlyweds    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



France's Hollande visits Japan to push nuke ties
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 07 - 06 - 2013

TOKYO — French President Francois Hollande arrived in Japan on Thursday for a visit expected to focus on closer cooperation in nuclear energy technologies and on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic strategies.
Hollande and Abe will hold summit talks that local media say may yield an agreement on cooperating in nuclear fuel cycle technology, next-generation reactors and decommissioning of nuclear power plants.
Japan is struggling with the cleanup from meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disasters, and with the suspension of its Monju fast-breeder reactor, which is meant to process spent atomic fuel.
Abe is eager to sell Japan's nuclear technology overseas, despite the suspension of most nuclear power generation following the Fukushima disaster, and is endeavoring to show it can offer the highest safety standards. Its Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has teamed up with France's nuclear services giant Areva in building a nuclear reactor on the Black Sea coast in Turkey.
Earlier this week, Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd. and Areva announced they plan to work together on improving nuclear safety through filtered containment venting systems that can remove radioactive materials from the air.
Areva also has aided the crippled Fukushima plant with water treatment technology, though Tokyo Electric Power Co., its operator, soon switched to using a system designed by Toshiba after deciding the French system was not as effective as expected.
Though France is the only nation with technology for a closed nuclear fuel cycle, which reprocesses and reuses spent nuclear fuel, Hollande has announced plans to scale back its atomic power program, cutting the country's reliance on atomic power, from 75 percent to 50 percent by 2025.
On broader issues, Hollande will get a first-hand look at how Abe is fighting Japan's two-decade-old economic slump through his “Abenomics” policy mix of monetary and fiscal stimulus and reforms. Many commentators have urged European leaders to reconsider fiscal austerity imposed due to the financial crisis, pointing to Japan's emergence from recession late last year and its 3.5 percent annual economic growth rate in the last quarter as evidence that stimulus is crucial for recovery.
France has been seeking to counter its economic woes by growing its business with Asia. Hollande returned just over a month ago from a visit to China, where the two countries clinched deals on the sale of dozens of Airbus aircraft and on building a used nuclear fuel treatment and recycling facility.
It is also hoping to work with Japan on emerging technologies such as nanotechnology, information technology and robotics. The two sides also have pledged to increase student and cultural exchanges.
France's annual exports to Japan total around 7.5 billion euros ($9.8 billion), while its imports are just over 9 billion euros. Both rank 11th as respective trade partners.
Hollande's is the first state visit to Japan this year and as such he was to be given a formal welcoming ceremony and a banquet hosted by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. He and French first lady Valerie Trierweiler are due to leave Japan on Saturday. — AP


Clic here to read the story from its source.