Japanese nuclear establishment pushes ahead on reactor sales to Vietnam and Turkey, despite Fukushima Daiichi nuclear catastrophe

The Mainichi Daily News has reported that on August 5th, the Japanese federal cabinet under then Prime Minister Naoto Kan decided to continue with proposed Japanese atomic reactor sales to Vietnam and Turkey, despite the ongoing nuclear catastrophe at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Financing by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is essential to such exports. Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps, while on a speaking tour of Japan a year ago, met with JBIC officials, as well as others from the federal Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), urging them to not risk Japanese taxpayer dollars on such risky new reactor proposals as at the South Texas Project in the U.S. Kevin delivered a letter signed by 75 U.S. environmental groups to the Japanese officials; environmental allies from Green Action, Friends of the Earth, Citizens Nuclear Information Center, and other Japanese NGOs also attended the meeting, and made sure copies of the U.S. coalition letter were delivered to relevant federal ministers, including Prime Minister Kan (who just resigned), as well as Finance Minister Noda and METI head Kaieda -- the newly elected Prime Minister and his defeated challenger, respectively.