Return arms-grade plutonium: U.S.

[bananas]

Source: Kyodo

Washington has been pressing Tokyo to return over 300 kg of mostly weapons-grade plutonium given to Japan for research purposes during the Cold War era, Japanese and U.S. government sources said Sunday.

President Barack Obama’s administration, which is keen to ensure nuclear security, wants Japan to return the plutonium supplied for use as nuclear fuel in a fast critical assembly in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, the sources said.

The highly concentrated plutonium could be used to produce 40 to 50 nuclear weapons.

Japan has strongly resisted returning the plutonium, which it says is needed for researching fast reactors. But it has finally given in to repeated U.S. demands, the sources said.

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Read more: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/01/27/national/return-arms-grade-plutonium-u-s/

[jtuck004]

1. Good. It's probalby not even half used up. n/t

[okaawhatever]

2. I strongly suspect our enemies will be watching for that ship carrying it back here. Tell the

captain not to drive by Somalia or N Korea. I think this is one of those things i'd rather they just kept quiet until it was safely back in the US or UK.