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| Smoke billowing from Japan's Fukushima power plant damaged in the recent tsunami |
HANOI (Jiji Press)--Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his
Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung have agreed in a meeting in Hanoi that
their countries will cooperate closely to build nuclear power plants in
Vietnam.
Japan won an order for the construction of a nuclear
power plant that Vietnam hopes will be completed in 2020. However, uncertainty
grew over Japan's continued cooperation following the nuclear crisis at Tokyo
Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in March 2011, and
moves by the previous Democratic Party of Japan-led government to reduce the
nation's nuclear dependence to zero.
Abe has hinted that the previous administration's
policy of phasing out nuclear power will be reviewed, but has also said the
nation aims to establish its medium- to long-term energy strategy within a
decade.
By announcing the cooperation for Vietnam's nuclear
power development, Abe may be criticized at home for inconsistency.
In a bid to deepen economic ties with the Southeast
Asian nation, Abe also said in the meeting Wednesday that Japan will provide
yen loans worth about 500 million dollars to Vietnam.
Abe and Dung confirmed bilateral cooperation on the
mining of rare earth minerals and the development of expressways and ports,
also agreeing that Japan will promote its acceptance of Vietnamese nurses and
care workers.
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Abe, Dung warn China
Abe and Dung also agreed that their countries are
against any move to change the status quo in the South China Sea by force.
The two leaders reached the agreement in a meeting in
Hanoi in an apparent warning to China, as tensions between Vietnam and China
have risen over claims to areas in the resource-rich sea.
Regarding relations between Japan and China, which
have been deteriorating over the Senkaku Islands, Abe said his country will
manage them appropriately and calmly.
(Jan. 18, 2013)
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