In view of the nuclear fiasco at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has declared that he will decrease Japan's reliance on nuclear power as much as possible. Regrettably he appears to be pursuing an illogical path in his policy toward nuclear power.
On Oct. 31, Mr. Noda and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung agreed in Tokyo that Japan will push its cooperation with Vietnam's nuclear power plant construction project. This agreement accords with the one October 2010 between then Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Mr. Dung: that Vietnam will buy two reactors from Japan. The latest agreement between Mr. Noda and Mr. Dung means that the Democratic Party of Japan government will continue its policy of promoting the export of nuclear reactors.
Two days before the meeting between Mr. Noda and Mr. Dung, Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba and his Indian counterpart, Shri S.M. Krishna, agreed in Tokyo that Japan and India will push talks to conclude a bilateral nuclear accord, under which India will acquire Japanese nuclear technology.