Russia

To date Japan has carried out the following cooperation projects with Russia.
1.	Construction of a Low-level Liquid Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant, "Suzuran"
(1)	There were insufficient radioactive waste treatment plants in Russia's Far East, and it was reported in 1993 that untreated radioactive waste was being dumped into the Sea of Japan, causing great concern about environmental pollution. Under these circumstances, "Suzuran" was constructed in order to safely dispose of low-level liquid radioactive waste generated by the dismantlement of nuclear submarines. "Suzuran" is a floating treatment plant with a handling capacity of 7,000 m3/year and is one of the largest liquid radioactive waste treatment plants in the world. At this time, it is moored opposite Vladivostok's shores at the Zvezda Shipyard in Bolshoy Kamen Bay, where it demonstrates its great capabilities.
(2)	Construction of "Suzuran" was completed in April 1998. After its prerequisite trial runs and adjustments in Russia, the handover ceremony was held at the Zvezda Shipyard in November 2001, and it then began treatment operations. Since then not even a drop of liquid radioactive waste has been dumped into the Sea of Japan.
Suzuran
(3)	Specifications of "Suzuran"
[General dimensions of the treatment plant] ·Length 65.0m ·Width 23.4m ·Height 6.6m ·Draft (maximum) 3.5m [Capacity of tanks] ·Influent collection tank 800m3 ·Clean water effluent tanks 800m3 [Treatment capacity] · 35m3/day · 7,000m3/year [Low-level radioactive waste with total activity] 10-5ci/l [Electric power plants] ·3 Diesel generators 360kw ·1 Emergency diesel generator 65kw [Boilers] ·1,500kg/hour 2units [Purge] ·Winch for anchor 3X80KN(Note1) ·Capstan to moor purges 1X80KN ·Life rafts (for 8 people) 4rafts ·Crane 1X5,0tf(Note2) (Note1)KN=kilo newtons("torque" force) (Note2)tf=tonnes force ("lift" force)
(4)	On November 22, 2001, the handover ceremony of "Suzuran" was held at the Zvezda Shipyard. In attendance at the ceremony were the Japanese Consul General of Vladivostok and officials from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On the Russian side were officials from the Ministry for Atomic Energy, Ministry of Economy, Federal Inspectorate for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (Gosatomnadzor), Primorsky District Administration as well as interested parties of the Pacific Fleet, Zvezda Shipyard and those who were involved in the construction of the treatment plant. The events of the ceremony were widely reported in both Japan and Russia.
The Handover Ceremony
2.	Support for the dismantlement of nuclear submarines (Program for Dismantling Decommissioned Nuclear Submarines "Star of Hope")
(1)	In May 1999 the Japanese Government announced the "Japan-Russia Joint Operational Project for Disarmament and Environmental Protection (Japanese Government Support for Russia's Denuclearization and a New Initiative in the Area of Disarmament and Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons)." As part of this initiative was the policy to support the dismantlement of decommissioned nuclear submarines in Russia's Far East while recognizing that this project was an essential and urgent issue in arms control, disarmament and environmental protection of the Sea of Japan.
(2)	In January 2003, on Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to Russia, the heads of both countries adopted the "Japan-Russia Action Plan." The project of the dismantlement of decommissioned nuclear submarines in Russia's Far East was one of the key pillars of this Plan and was named "Star of Hope." It was also designated as a part of the G8 Global Partnership at the Kananaskis Summit in 2002 and more than US$100 million was appropriated for this project.
(3)	As the first project under the "Star of Hope" program, the Japan-Russia Committee undertook the dismantling of a submarine of the Victor III class. Japanese cooperation in the dismantlement began in December 2003 and concluded in December 2004. The operation was carried out at the Zvezda Shipyard, in a suburb of Vladivostok. The dismantlement process included the following steps: Spent nuclear fuel was removed from the submarine's reactors and sent to storage; the hull was cut into three sections; the bow and stern sections were removed and destroyed; and the reactor section was sealed and transferred to storage. Japan contributed almost 790 million yen for this project.
Dismantlement of a Victor III class submarine
(4)	Japan and Russia are adopting a policy to further promote the ongoing "Star of Hope" program and are in consultation to implement the dismantlement of 5 more nuclear submarines.
(5)	There are currently about 30 decommissioned nuclear submarines in the Russian Far East, which are moored at Vladivostok, Kamchatka, and Sovetskaya Gavanj. Basically, nuclear submarines are classified into two types, "strategic nuclear submarines" that carry nuclear missile launchers (SLBM: Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile), and "multipurpose submarines" (attack submarines). The United States is actively supporting the dismantlement of the former in order to increase the effectiveness of its nuclear disarmament agreements with Russia such as START I. For the latter however, dismantlement lags behind and Japan's cooperation is expected.