Amendment To Australia-Japan Bilateral Safeguards Agreement

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

AUSTRALIA

Australia and Japan have exchanged Diplomatic Notes as the
first step towards a minor amendment of an attachment to the
bilateral nuclear safeguards agreement.

This attachment is known as the Delineated and Recorded Japanese
Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, and referred to as the "Capsule"
at the working level.

The Notes were exchanged in Canberra on 10 September 1999.

The Capsule lists the facilities at which Australian nuclear
material may be processed, used or reprocessed.

The Notes propose to add two facilities, in the United States
of America, to the Capsule.

Those facilities are the Columbia Plant owned by Westinghouse
Electric Corporation and the Richland Plant owned by Siemens
Power Corporation.

The Columbia and Richland plants are being added for the purpose
of light water fuel fabrication.

The Notes will be tabled in the Federal Parliament later in
the year.