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As oil prices surge to record levels, Japan said Saturday it would help build nuclear power plants in the United States, sensing opportunities for Japanese companies."We reaffirmed our commitment to promoting bilateral nuclear energy cooperation," said a joint statement after talks by Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akira Amari and US Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman.Energy ministers from the world's two largest economies said in the statement they intended to "consult on potential financing support measures that would facilitate nuclear power plant construction in the United States."The move came on the sidelines of one-day talks among the two countries, India, China and South Korea in this northern Japanese city which voiced "serious concerns" about spiraling oil prices.Nuclear power has come under renewed spotlight amid record-setting oil price rises, with the United States building new nuclear power plants for the first time in 30 years.There are plans to build more than 30 nuclear power plants in the country, raising the need for funding, a Japanese statement noted."It is highly possible that Japanese companies will take part in many projects in the US market, the world's largest," it said."If we make progress in policy cooperation with the United States regarding financial support, Japan's nuclear power industry will be able to make a leap in overseas operations," it said.Foreseeing growth, Japan's Toshiba Corp. in 2006 invested more than four billion dollars to acquire US nuclear plant maker Westinghouse Electric Co. in one of the biggest Japanese purchases overseas in years.Westinghouse said in May it had signed a deal to build two nuclear power reactors in the US state of South Carolina.Japan and the United States also said earlier Saturday that they would cooperate in research on methane hydrate, the "ice that burns" considered a promising future energy source.Eleven major economies are holding talks this weekend in Aomori, Japan. Oil prices on Friday posted their biggest ever one-day rise, soaring to 138.54 dollars in New York after hawkish remarks by a senior Israeli official about oil producer Iran.http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080607183054.1ajc7mrf&show_article=1&catnum=0
As in the days of Noah...
