Statement by Ambassador HIKIHARA Takeshi at the IAEA Board of Governors Meeting starting on Monday, 6 March 2023 Item 4: Nuclear Technology Review 2023
2023/3/7
Thank you, Chair,
Japan thanks the Agency for its report entitled “Nuclear Technology Review 2023”. It provides a useful summary, in the reader-friendly manner, of the remarkable progress made in the fields of both nuclear power generation and non-power generation. I would like to commend the excellent work done by the Secretariat. I was personally impressed by the vivid description given by DDG Mokhtar today in a variety of non-power application of nuclear energy.
Japan hopes that the IAEA will continue to play a central role in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and thereby actively contributing to achieving the SDGs. Japan has been a consistent strong supporter of the Agency’s efforts, and has made significant contributions to a wide range of projects including ZODIAC, NUTEC Plastics and the Rays of Hope initiatives.
The Nuclear Technology Review 2023 highlights the growing importance of the role of nuclear power in tackling climate change. This fact should be duly recognized and appreciated by a wider audience. We therefore look forward to the Agency’s active participation in high-level international climate and energy fora, in particular the COP28 to be held in the United Arab Emirates.
Chair,
Japan highly appreciates the Rays of Hope initiative as an effective means to strengthen the capacity of Member States in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
It is my pleasure to share with you that Japan recently decided to support the strengthening of radiation therapy and medical imaging in Ukraine by allocating two million US dollars through the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI). This brings Japan’s total contribution to the Rays of Hope initiative to around three million euros. We hope that the IAEA will utilize our contribution to implement the project effectively, focusing on high-impact and sustainable activities, fully taking into consideration the needs of Ukrainian people and their Government. We would like to request the IAEA Secretariat to provide regular and transparent updates throughout the implementation of the project.
We are also pleased that our earlier contribution has been helping Senegal in capacity building, technology transfer and safety and security support for radiotherapy and nuclear medicine. We hope that trained people such as radiation oncologists and nuclear medicine physicians will make a strong and long-lasting contribution to the fight against cancer in their country and beyond.
Chair,
As explained in the Nuclear Technology Review 2023, ”[b]oron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a novel cancer therapy combining the use of a tumour-seeking boron pharmaceutical and an external neutron beam. Interest in BNCT has continued to grow around the world, in particular following the approval in Japan of BNCT at accelerator-based facilities as a routine clinical treatment” for certain types of cancers.
In this regard, I am pleased of the continued success of the collaboration between the IAEA and Okayama University of Japan, the first IAEA collaborating centre in the field of BNCT, in providing valuable expertise and capacity building opportunities to Member States.
Chair,
Let me conclude my remarks by commending once again the IAEA’s continuous efforts to build broader partnership with the academic and private sectors, including Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Chiyoda Technol Cooperation of Japan. Japan looks forward to further progress in this regard.
With these comments, Japan takes note of the Agency’s report, as contained in document GOV/2023/3 and its corrigendum.
Thank you, Chair.
Japan thanks the Agency for its report entitled “Nuclear Technology Review 2023”. It provides a useful summary, in the reader-friendly manner, of the remarkable progress made in the fields of both nuclear power generation and non-power generation. I would like to commend the excellent work done by the Secretariat. I was personally impressed by the vivid description given by DDG Mokhtar today in a variety of non-power application of nuclear energy.
Japan hopes that the IAEA will continue to play a central role in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and thereby actively contributing to achieving the SDGs. Japan has been a consistent strong supporter of the Agency’s efforts, and has made significant contributions to a wide range of projects including ZODIAC, NUTEC Plastics and the Rays of Hope initiatives.
The Nuclear Technology Review 2023 highlights the growing importance of the role of nuclear power in tackling climate change. This fact should be duly recognized and appreciated by a wider audience. We therefore look forward to the Agency’s active participation in high-level international climate and energy fora, in particular the COP28 to be held in the United Arab Emirates.
Chair,
Japan highly appreciates the Rays of Hope initiative as an effective means to strengthen the capacity of Member States in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
It is my pleasure to share with you that Japan recently decided to support the strengthening of radiation therapy and medical imaging in Ukraine by allocating two million US dollars through the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI). This brings Japan’s total contribution to the Rays of Hope initiative to around three million euros. We hope that the IAEA will utilize our contribution to implement the project effectively, focusing on high-impact and sustainable activities, fully taking into consideration the needs of Ukrainian people and their Government. We would like to request the IAEA Secretariat to provide regular and transparent updates throughout the implementation of the project.
We are also pleased that our earlier contribution has been helping Senegal in capacity building, technology transfer and safety and security support for radiotherapy and nuclear medicine. We hope that trained people such as radiation oncologists and nuclear medicine physicians will make a strong and long-lasting contribution to the fight against cancer in their country and beyond.
Chair,
As explained in the Nuclear Technology Review 2023, ”[b]oron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a novel cancer therapy combining the use of a tumour-seeking boron pharmaceutical and an external neutron beam. Interest in BNCT has continued to grow around the world, in particular following the approval in Japan of BNCT at accelerator-based facilities as a routine clinical treatment” for certain types of cancers.
In this regard, I am pleased of the continued success of the collaboration between the IAEA and Okayama University of Japan, the first IAEA collaborating centre in the field of BNCT, in providing valuable expertise and capacity building opportunities to Member States.
Chair,
Let me conclude my remarks by commending once again the IAEA’s continuous efforts to build broader partnership with the academic and private sectors, including Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Chiyoda Technol Cooperation of Japan. Japan looks forward to further progress in this regard.
With these comments, Japan takes note of the Agency’s report, as contained in document GOV/2023/3 and its corrigendum.
Thank you, Chair.