[Comments on Proposed U.S.-Japan Agreement]

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO commented on a proposed agreement between the United States and Japan concerning peaceful uses of nuclear energy. GAO noted that the agreement: (1) provides Japan with blanket authority to reprocess and store nuclear material originating within the United States, to transfer spent fuel for reprocessing to designated facilities in other countries, and to receive the resulting plutonium; (2) did not meet Atomic Energy Act of 1954 requirements concerning guarantees of U.S. consent and prior approval for retransfer and reprocessing activities or the timely warning standard; and (3) provides a flexible generic approval process with the long-term, predictable terms Japan needs, while allowing the United States to maintain effective oversight.