On June 28, 2018, the Mansfield Foundation hosted “Taking Stock: Plutonium in Northeast Asia,” a public seminar examining critical questions related to the future of nuclear energy and the closed nuclear fuel cycle in Northeast Asia. The event, part of a George Washington University project, took place at the International House of Japan in Tokyo and featured Thomas Countryman, former Acting Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security at the U.S. Department of State, and a Distinguished Fellow at the Mansfield Foundation. In addition to Mr. Countryman and Mansfield Foundation Director of Programs Ryan Shaffer, the program featured the following experts: Sharon Squassoni (George Washington University), Masakatsu Ota (Kyodo News), Alan Kuperman (University of Texas at Austin), Jorshan Choi (UC Berkeley Nuclear Research Center), and Yongsoo Hwang (Korean Atomic Energy Institute). With the government of Japan expected to issue new policy guidance impacting its use of plutonium as an energy resource, the group discussed implications of the practice in terms of energy security, environmental concerns, economics, regional politics, and the global nuclear nonproliferation movement.
This event included both Japanese and English speakers. The following recording does not included translations.
Panel 1
Panel 2
A full agenda can be found here, and a Japanese version here.