Japan will start developing nuclear forensic technologies next fiscal year so it can tell where nuclear materials originated and prevent trafficking and proliferation, government sources said.

Amid growing international concern over nuclear terrorism, the government is aiming to analyze the composition of uranium fuel and reprocessed plutonium in the country to develop technologies for determining where the uranium originated and when it was produced so it can create a database.

The science and technology ministry hopes to secure a budget of ¥200 million for fiscal 2011 starting in April.