A day after surveying the damage to the Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) stricken Nuclear Power Plant at Fukushima Dai-ichi, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano met Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan in Tokyo on 26 July 2011.
Reiterating his commitment to maintaining a high level of transparency in implementing various mitigation measures, the Prime Minister explained the current implementation status of TEPCO's "Roadmap", the plan to stabilize the situation at the accident site. Noting that the Roadmap's Step 1 phase has been completely in large part as scheduled, the Prime Minister expressed his expectation to work closely with the Agency towards the success of the high level meeting to be held in Japan in the latter half of 2012.
The Director General expressed his appreciation for Japan's contribution to the success of the IAEA's June 2011 Ministerial Conference by submitting its report on the Fukushima accident in a timely and transparent manner. He welcomed the significant progress in the implementation of the "Roadmap" and stated that Step 2, achieving a cold-shut down status of reactors by early next year, could be possible.
He also assured the Prime Minister of the IAEA's readiness to its extend cooperation to Japan in areas in which the IAEA has acquired considerable expertise such as decontamination, spent fuel removal, and melted reactor core removal.
The Prime Minister also detailed his views on Japan's future energy policy, including nuclear energy policy.