Nuclear Societies sign new MOU to continue UK-Japan collaboration

On 10 September 2015, the Nuclear Institute (NI) and the Atomic Energy Society of Japan signed a memorandum of understanding at a ceremony held at the Embassy of Japan in London.

The focus of the MOU is on improving international ties and promoting nuclear professionalism by raising awareness of the importance of the individual in safety and security culture.

The new agreement sets out a programme for increased collaboration between the two organisations with workshops taking place in both the UK and Japan to be supported by both organisations across the coming years beginning in 2016.

This is the second such agreement to be signed by the two organisations and provides the basis for a reinvigoration of the close working ties created under the first memorandum.

John Warden, CEO of the Nuclear Institute, said: “The Nuclear Institute values global partnerships with fellow professional bodies and we look forward to building on our ongoing relationship with AESJ.”

The Memorandum was signed on behalf of the Nuclear Institute by past-President of the Institute Norman Harrison: “I am delighted to sign this updated MOU on behalf of the Nuclear Institute. This partnership strengthens the nuclear industry’s ethos of international collaboration which is vital to ensuring efficiency and innovation, and most importantly safety and security for the nuclear sector and the public. I look forward to seeing the broad range of initiatives and events which will arise from this in the future.”

The signing took place during a full day of joint Japan-UK discussions comprised of the ‘Japan-UK Decommissioning Roundtable: A Strategic Vision for Fukushima Daiichi NPP’ and the ‘Japan-UK Nuclear Research Collaboration Symposium 2015’. The events of the day were aimed at increasing international cooperation and collaboration in the nuclear sector and were attended by important members of industry, research and academia from both nations.