Japan, France to cooperate in search of highly safe nuke power+

TOKYO, July 16 Kyodo -
Japan and France agreed Friday to promote bilateral cooperation in developing
''high-level'' nuclear power technologies, the leaders of the two countries
said.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon
shared the view that the two countries, which are normally fiercely competitive
in the industry, could put up a united front against emerging low-cost nuclear
technologies, putting top priority on developing safe reactors.
During their talks in Tokyo, Fillon also said Japan should make every possible
effort to reduce its nontariff barriers to European imports if it is to seek a
free trade accord with the European Union. France is a member of the 27-nation
bloc.
''We agreed that it is important for the nuclear power industry to seek
extremely high-level security,'' Fillon said at a joint press conference after
the talks. ''It must not be a cost-saving industry. We need to prove how much
we need nuclear energy with its safety ensured.''
The announcement came amid growing demand for atomic power reactors in
developing countries as well as the need to seek low-emitting alternatives to
fossil fuels in the battle against climate change.
Kan said, ''We discussed our cooperation on nuclear power (development) in
reference to some concrete examples and agreed to promote such cooperation in
an aggressive manner.''
Fillon hailed bilateral cooperation at corporate levels, singling out Japan's
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Areva SA of France, which have
co-developed a medium-sized nuclear power reactor. He expressed his hope that
the business alliance could develop into a capital tie-up.
Japan is seeking to launch formal negotiations to reach a free-trade agreement
with the European Union. But European officials say such an accord would
largely depend on Tokyo's resolve to reduce the nation's nontariff barriers to
imports, such as product safety standards and other regulations that the
officials say unfairly benefit Japanese producers.
France is ''open'' to the idea of seeking such an accord and would promote
negotiations if launched, Fillon said. But he also said, ''I told (Mr. Kan)
that we need to first seek to address problems in the areas in which European
firms still have difficulty winning access to the Japanese market.''
Kan and Fillon agreed to focus on ensuring fiscal sustainability in each
country while keeping the economies growing. They also said Japan and France
will cooperate in handling a wide range of issues, including reforms in the
United Nations, the battle against global warming and the overhaul of
international financial regulations.
Delivering a speech earlier in the day, the French prime minister admitted that
the eurozone has faced an unprecedented crisis in its financial system amid
concerns about the debt levels of member countries. But he also said the crisis
will not affect the credibility of the common currency.
European governments were very quick in responding to the sovereign debt
crisis, such as one in Greece, and are close to overcoming pressures from
financial markets, he added.
==Kyodo