Assistant Secretary Walsh Advances President Trump’s U.S.-Japan Energy and Nuclear Cleanup Cooperation

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Assistant Secretary Tim Walsh addresses the 10th International Forum on the Decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, highlighting ongoing cleanup cooperation between the United States and Japan.

Walsh-led delegation participates in forum on Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station decommissioning, engages American and Japanese officials to strengthen cooperation across nuclear energy sector

JAPAN — U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) Assistant Secretary Tim Walsh reinforced America’s longstanding partnership with Japan during a recent visit focused on nuclear cleanup, energy security and diplomacy, nuclear cooperation and economic development.

Walsh’s trip advanced President Donald Trump and Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s diplomatic initiatives to usher in a new golden age of United States-Japan relations as both nations work to advance nuclear cleanup missions, expand access to affordable and reliable power, increase partnership on nuclear energy, grow economic opportunity and strengthen cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.

A centerpiece of Walsh’s visit was the EM delegation’s tour of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station to see ongoing tremendous progress in Tokyo Electric Power Company’s cleanup work and participation in the 10th International Forum on the Decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. View EM Update coverage of last year's forum here.

Walsh, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Joel Bradburne and Hanford Field Office Manager Ray Geimer shared lessons in managing complex nuclear cleanup missions across the U.S., including experiences in long-term planning, using new technologies, ensuring strong safety performance and engaging in open and transparent communication with surrounding communities.

“Japan is one of America’s strongest and most trusted allies. Our continued engagement reflects a shared commitment to advancing safe and innovative nuclear cooperation that is essential to the successful future of both our nations,” said Walsh. “When it comes to building a better world filled with innovation, scientific discovery, affordable energy and economic vitality, we are all in it together.”

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) Assistant Secretary Tim Walsh and the EM delegation tour the Fukushima Daiichi cleanup site and receive an update on current and future cleanup activities. From left: Tokyo Electric Power Company Executive Vice President and Chief Decommissioning Officer Akoya Ono; U.S. Department of Energy Japan Office Director Cameron Salony, who also serves as energy attaché, U.S. Embassy, Tokyo; Hanford Field Office Manager Ray Geimer; Walsh; Lisa Walsh; EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Joel Bradbourne; EM Deputy Chief of Staff John Howard; and EM Director of Communications Justin Doil.

Following the Fukushima forum, Walsh and the EM delegation met with officials at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, including Chargé d'affaires Aaron D. Snipe, for an update on fulfilling Trump’s work to deepen bilateral relations between the American and Japanese people.

Their meetings connected EM’s cleanup and nuclear mission with the Trump administration’s broader goals of strengthening energy dominance and security, expanding commercial opportunities and creating high-quality jobs. Walsh also visited the Japanese Language and Area Training Center in Yokohama, where he met with U.S. foreign service officers and discussed their important work to advance the president’s energy security and cooperation mission with Japan.

The EM delegation also met with Japanese government officials, including representatives of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation (NDF). The meetings built on an already active energy and scientific partnership resulting from Trump’s U.S.-Japan Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement, including the $33.3 billion investment by SB Energy, a SoftBank Group Company, at EM’s Portsmouth Site to build 9.2 gigawatts of new affordable energy generation that will lower energy prices throughout the Ohio region, and construction of a new advanced computing campus that will create thousands of new jobs.

Walsh and the EM delegation also took part in follow-up meetings with the NDF and its president, Hajimu Yamana, for further discussions on nuclear cleanup cooperation between the U.S. and Japan and how both countries could learn from each other to accelerate cleanup progress, save taxpayer dollars and safely put human health and the environment first at legacy cleanup sites.

Closing out the trip, to strengthen Trump and Wright’s efforts to close the nuclear fuel cycle and power America’s ongoing nuclear renaissance, Walsh and the EM delegation visited Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited’s (JNFL) Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant led by President and CEO Naohiro Masuda. JNFL’s operations span uranium enrichment, used fuel reprocessing and mixed oxide fuel fabrication. The visit gave Walsh a firsthand look at capabilities relevant to closing the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear-material management and the reliable supply of nuclear fuel.

“Together, under the leadership of President Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, we are building a deeper and more connected relationship between our two nations that will benefit the United States and Japan, and the rest of the free world,” said Walsh. “By working together, strengthening our diplomatic ties, and increasing cooperation on nuclear cleanup, energy, and technologies, we will build a peaceful and prosperous world for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.”