TOKYO, April 12, SPA -- France's prime minister toured a nuclearreprocessing plant in northern Japan on Saturday, hailingthe facility as a symbol of friendship between the twocountries and vowing to take global leadership in promotingnuclear power as a solution to climate change. Francois Fillon made a day trip to a nuclearreprocessing plant that uses technology from France'sstate-run nuclear giant Areva. The plant, located in thevillage of Rokkasho, is in the final phase of testing andis to begin full operations next month. Fillon, escorted by Japan's Trade Minister Akira Amari,toured the plant's control room and high-level nuclearwaste facility, a spokesman for plant operator JapanNuclear Fuel Ltd. said on condition of anonymity citingprotocol. «The plant is an excellent symbol of friendship betweenFrance and Japan,» Fillon told reporters after the planttour, the Yomiuri newspaper reported. «I hope we cancontinue to cooperate in implementing energy policies.» Fillon and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda held talksFriday and issued a joint declaration saying nuclear energyis key to strengthening international energy security andtackling global warming. They also acknowledged theimportance of nuclear nonproliferation, safety andsecurity. Fillon's visit marks the 150th anniversary ofJapanese-French diplomatic ties and comes ahead of thisyear's summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nationsin Japan, the Associated Press reported. The summit is expected to focus on globalwarming. Japan will promote nuclear energy at the G-8 energyministers' meeting in June «to share understanding amongthe participating nations about how nuclear energy cancontribute to solving the problem of global warming,»Amari told a joint news conference with Fillon. Fillon said Japan and France should become «globalleaders in using nuclear energy wisely.»--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/545451