Japan will hand over a supply of uranium and plutonium, powerful enough to make nuclear weapons, to the U.S. so they can be downgraded and safely disposed of, both nations announced Monday.
Hundreds of kilograms of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and separated plutonium will be transported to the U.S. from the Fast Critical Assembly at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Reuters reported. Both plutonium and uranium can be used to develop bombs, power nuclear plants as well as for research purposes.
"The effort involves the elimination of hundreds of kilograms of nuclear material, furthering our mutual goal of minimizing stocks of HEU and separated plutonium worldwide, which will help prevent unauthorized actors, criminals, or terrorists from acquiring such materials," said a joint statement from President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Reuters reported.
"This material, once securely transported to the United States, will be sent to a secure facility and fully converted into less sensitive forms."
The announcement was made before Monday's nuclear security summit at The Hague. The two-day summit includes leaders from 53 countries gathering to discuss methods to prevent militant groups from obtaining nuclear weapons, Reuters reported.
The atomic material was first bought by Japan from the U.S. in the '60s. The material includes 300 kilograms of plutonium- enough for 50 nuclear bombs, Reuters reported.
China said it was "extremely concerned" over Japan's handling of the HEU and plutonium, claiming the country was "stockpiling" nuclear material.
"Experts believe such Japanese stockpiling activities have far exceeded the normal necessity of its domestic use of nuclear energy," Chen Kan, secretary general of the China Arms Control and Nuclear Disarmament Association, said before the Monday announcement, Reuters reported.
The U.S., however, along with the UN's nuclear agency, do not think Tokyo intends to misuse the material. Japan also said it does not have nuclear weapons, nor does it plan to make them.
