On May 20, during his meeting with the director general, the prime minister praised the IAEA\u2019s efforts to secure the safety of nuclear power facilities in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
He also expressed Japan\u2019s gratitude for the Agency\u2019s cooperation on safety in the handling of water treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS-treated water) at the Fukushima Daiichi, and said that \u201ccontinuing the IAEA\u2019s scientific, objective reviews in anticipation of release of the ALPS-treated water into the sea was very important in obtaining understanding domestically and internationally. The Japanese government,\u201d he said, \u201cwould continue to respond to the matter with transparency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grossi responded, \u201cThe military invasion of Ukraine by Russia is simply unprecedented. Although conventional weapons are being used, soldiers are fighting where there are many nuclear facilities. We must confront some very severe challenges. There is nothing more important than ensuring the safety of nuclear facilities.\u201d He then expressed his intention to visit the Chernobyl NPPs and the Zaporizhzhia NPPs soon.<\/p>\n
In regard to the situation in North Korea, with its nuclear weapons and missiles, the two leaders agreed on the importance of cooperation between the IAEA and Japan.<\/p>\n
On the same day, May 20, the IAEA director general met the press at the Japan Press Club for the first time. He talked about the Agency\u2019s activities in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear power. \u201cAt present,\u201d he said, \u201cnuclear power could be a solution to the energy crisis the world is facing, and on climate change issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grossi also said the IAEA would provide support to newly-emerging nuclear nations. Referring to examples of how nuclear technology is applied in such areas as public health, medicine, and agriculture, he emphasized that the IAEA is playing important roles in Iran and Ukraine and in nuclear development in North Korea, as well as on climate change measures and food security.<\/p>\n
Asked by a reporter about the safety review of the handling of ALPS-treated water, the director general said that \u201cthe entire process will take a number of decades\u201d and that long-term processes will have to be thoroughly carried out. He said that the IAEA would work on the review with an attitude of strict impartiality, based on internationally established safety standards. He also emphasized that it was important for the voices of the public in the affected areas to be respected to the maximum.<\/p>\n
Previously, on May 18, Grossi had met HAGIUDA Koichi, head of the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and met Foreign Minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa one day later. The ministers then announced that their ministries would each contribute one million euros to, respectively, the IAEA\u2019s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) to support young women researchers, and Rays of Hope, the IAEA\u2019s new cancer initiative to establish and promote radiation cancer therapy in developing nations.<\/p>\n