Thank you very much for sparing your precious time to attend our 1st JAEA debriefing session today. First of all, I would like to deliver an opening address for this session.

Nine months have already passed since JAEA was inaugurated on October 1st last year. I deeply appreciate the advice and support that all of you present here or those others belonging to various sectors have accorded to us, which enabled JAEA to successfully launch itself. JAEA is the sole R&D institute in Japan dedicated to comprehensive nuclear research, ranging from fundamental and basic research to the project R&D aiming at practical application, in other words, covering both science and technology. For our management, we have made it our mission “Forward the quality of human life by innovative advancements in nuclear energy” with our slogan to achieve the goal “Strive for noble ambitions, abundant and creative ideas, and robust will”. Thus we have been consolidating the efforts of our staff to realize concerted cooperation of our employees and efficient management by selecting and focusing with a view to remunerating our society with tangible results

Now, the social circumstances surrounding nuclear energy have been rapidly changing since the opening of JAEA. In regard to the domestic situation, for example, the basic guideline of Japan's nuclear policy, “Framework for Nuclear Energy Policy”, was approved in a Cabinet meeting last October, to reaffirm the adherence to the existing policy for nuclear fuel cycle development. The Third-stage Science and Technology Basic Plan submitted by the government's Council for Science and Technology Policy was also approved in the Cabinet last March, in which a FBR Cycle Technology was selected as a “key national technology”. Also in this plan, the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project and high-level radioactive waste disposal technology were given a status of “strategy focus on science and technology”, and almost all of JAEA's research and development including a quantum beam technology at J-PARC was also given a status of “important challenges for research and development” for Japan. In addition, nuclear fuel cycle development seems to regain a thrust as shown in the start of test operation using actual spent fuel by Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited, at Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant in Aomori Prefecture, and the improving understanding of local communities about the project of plutonium for thermal use at Genkai Nuclear Power Station of Kyushu Electric Power, Shimane nuclear power station of Chugoku Electric Power, and Ikata nuclear power station of Shikoku Electric Power.
In regard to the overseas situation, there is a conspicuous trend that fuel supply vis a vis demand has become stringent as seen in soaring oil prices. Moreover, the efforts to securing energy supply by BRICs including Asian countries where the rapid increase of energy consumptions is expected, the international agenda on nonproliferation including nuclear issue of Iran, struggles with global environmental issues like prevention of global warming are counted among nuclear-related movements rapidly developing on a global scale. Specifically, the US announced “Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP)” initiative, which represents a policy changeover to revert to recycle-promotion path for the first time in thirty years, and is boosting diplomatic activities to cooperate with Japan, France, UK, Russia, and China.
In such circumstances, I am strongly aware of large expectation and grave responsibility incumbent on research and development of JAEA.

As I have just mentioned, JAEA has been promoting various types of research and development on safety research as well as basic and fundamental research, with an emphasis on the establishment of fast breeder reactor, high level radioactive waste processing, nuclear fusion development i.e. ITER project, and quantum beam applied technology, which were recognized as challenges of national importance by the Cabinet Office Council for Science and Technology Policy.
The renovation works of Monju, which is a core of FBR cycle technology, has been steadily and safely under way. As for the strategic research and investigation to envisage R&D programs for the practical utilization, basic ideas for focusing R&D were put forward last March and are now under the Government's evaluation. For the research and development of quantum beam applied technology, in order to ensure the co-management of the world's most advanced high intensity proton accelerator facility in tandem with High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, we founded J-PARC center last February. Under this system, the linear accelerator will enter the stage of beam test at the end of this year. On the other hand, concerning uranium waste soil at Ningyo-toge, which was a longstanding pending issue in our business management, owing to efforts of those persons concerned, we managed to conclude “the Agreement on the Disposal of Uranium Waste Soil at Katamo” with Tottori Prefecture and Misasa Town on May 31, which demonstrates a big step toward the solution of the problem.
I highly appreciate all the support and cooperation of the local residents, organizations concerned as well as from people in Japan for enabling us to carry out the development of our various business plans and projects thus far.

Today we hold our 1st debriefing session entitled "Nuclear Power - Challenges to the Future - from Science to Technology".
First of all, Executive Vice President Mr. Okazaki will present a summary report on JAEA's current status of R&D and future prospects. Subsequently, we will outline the current status of research and development as a specific theme report, from each of our four R&D divisions, Advanced Nuclear System Research and Development Directorate, Photon and Ion-Beam Applied Research Directorate, Geological Isolation Research and Development Directorate, and Fusion Research and Development Directorate.

Furthermore, we will invite Mr. Takashi Tachibana, a journalist as well as a science critic famous for his extensive activities, to give us a special lecture entitled “Science and Japan”. In view of his wide knowledge and special viewpoints, we're looking forward to the presentation valuable for the future of Japan's science and technology and for the implementation of research and development of JAEA.
Finally, I would like to close my address by reaffirming that each member of JAEA is fully aware that JAEA's progress is a part of the development of our whole society, and that we seek to make JAEA a Center of Excellence (COE), or one of the world's primary R&D centers, with attaching utmost importance to safety.
Once again, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you present here, local residents living near our R&D centers, universities and industries concerned for kind assistance and deep understandings so far, also asking those persons for continuous and further support and cooperation. Thank you very much for kind attention.

- BACK -