Japan, Russia nuclear energy deal not welcomed by all

Japan and Russia’s recent nuclear energy pact raises environmental and proliferation concerns. The deal allows Russia to provide enriched uranium to Japan's nuclear plants, while Japanese advanced nuclear technologies firms will be able to expand in Russia and help the country modernize its atomic facilities and nuclear energy market.  However, former Ploughshares grantees Philip White of the Citizens' Nuclear Information Center and Aileen Mioko Smith of Green Action said in a joint statement, "Japan cannot be confident that Japanese nuclear material will not be diverted to Iran, or to other countries suspected of developing nuclear weapons. The inadequacy of International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards in nuclear weapons states and Russia's supply of fuel for Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant are grounds for serious concerns."