Posted on 11/20/2004 6:54:45 AM PST by Ginifer
Japan would walk away from a partnership with the EU to build the world's first nuclear fusion reaction if work begins on a site in France without its agreement, Japan's chief negotiator has said.
Talks between Tokyo and the European Union over where to build the $12 billion International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) -- which would try to replicate the way the sun generates energy -- ended in deadlock earlier this month.
The EU wants the project to be based in Cadarache, near Marseille, while Tokyo is hoping it will be built in Rokkasho, a remote fishing village in northern Japan.
"If Europe maintains its hard line and if France starts building without any agreement from us, we will never join," Satoru Ohtake, head of nuclear fusion at Japan's Science and Technology ministry, said in an interview published in London's Financial Times newspaper on Saturday.
"That would be a miserable result. That would split the world in two." Nuclear fusion has been touted as a long-term solution to the world's energy problems, as it would be low in pollution and use limitless sea water as fuel. However 50 years of research have failed to produce a commercially viable fusion reactor.
Talks between the EU, South Korea, Russia, the United States, Japan and China in Vienna last week to decide ITER's location ended in stalemate. China and Russia are said to support France while South Korea and the US favour Japan.
On Tuesday, the EU offered Japan incentives if it were to drop its bid, such as allowing Tokyo to be involved in building the site in Cadarache.
However, the offer has angered Japan which believes the EU's attitude has been insulting.
"They are treating this like a king and servant relationship, where the king throws small things to the beggars," Ohtake told the paper. "It is bad manners. We have our pride."
Ohtake added the ideal solution would be to reduce the differences between the two sides so the loser could climb down gracefully.
He suggested the final decision could then be taken using a method put forward by David King, the scientific adviser to the British government -- by tossing a coin.
Put the two together and make three...
Typical European bullying. I think the US should be pushing hard for Japan.
"Forgive Russia, ignore Germany, punish France" --Dr. Rice.
I hope that Chirax has PO'd the administration enough that they stand up to the DOE and pull out of ITER.
Oh, and that is billions of our tax sollars being decided on a coin toss (and pretty much the end of any domestic moneys for fusion research in the fireseeable future.)
So the E.U. is getting back into fusion again. When did this happen?
Whatever happened to their fear and hatred of all things nuclear? The US Navy still gets protestors every time a ship that MIGHT have nuclear weapons docks in Japan. Are they no longer concerned about a nuclear accident? Is Godzilla really dead now?
If I were a Japanese industrialist I would let the EU build their expensive and dangerous plant, then build my own after they make all the mistakes. The new plant would be half the size, half the cost, and twice as efficient. Now that's the Japanese industry we're used to seeing.
Bad manners? ... From France? Say it isn't so...
France may end up keaing us al in to world war.
My opinion is that Japan and the U.S. should do their own project, and let the Europeans do whatever they want.
As for funding ideas, we could consider redirecting the money spent on funding the United Nations each year to this project.
If we could convince Japan on that score (not likely unless they are rebuffed on their quest for a Security Council seat, and even that probably would not be enough) that would remove a large portion of the U.N.'s funding. I haven't checked, but I believe that Japan and the U.S. together contribute in the neighborhood of 40% or so of the total budget for the U.N.
Let's offer to sell them the one in Texas which is currently being used as a mushroom farm. We should get at least a reasonable return for it.
Japan pulled about a third of it's funding from the UN earlier this year.
I think we'll get out of this somehow. I believe this was another clinton international 'scam the USA taxpayer' scheme, like the space station. Over priced boondoggle.
Ah, but that would be the ONE thing to assure complete European recalcitrance.
"Forgive Russia, ignore Germany, punish France" --Dr. Rice."
As usual, Dr. Rice is truly perspicacious.
Japan and Australia are have signed on to support the US missle defense program. Japan will be contribute $1B USD this year alone and technical expertise to the project.
Who says they aren't already? :P
If I were the "Emperor" of Japan, I know that's what I would do.
Granted, such a secret program wouldn't be much of a "MAD"-style deterrent, but they would give Japan the the option of taking matters into their own hands if NK flips out and a limp-wristed (read Democrat) US administration refuses to help outside of taking loud public umbrage. Nuclear SLBMs, combined with Japan's avowed spy satellite capabilities might allow for a quick knockout strike against NK WMD assets in the event of imminent hostilities.
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