Institutional and policy issues for nuclear cooperation schemes in the Asia-Pacific region

The Asia-Pacific Region, in particular East Asia and South Asia, is the only area in the world where nuclear power is expected to grow consistently in the coming 20 years. On the other hand, it is argued that most of the countries with civilian nuclear programs have had either nuclear weapons programs or at least had intentions to manufacture nuclear weapons. In this respect, there are growing needs for ensuring both nuclear safety and nonproliferation in the region. In the last few years, there have been various proposals calling for a regional nuclear cooperation scheme, often called as 'Asiatom' or 'Pacificatom'. This paper is intended to analyze institutional and policy issues for establishing such a regional organization by reviewing past experiences of similar regional cooperation bodies, current various proposals, and by reviewing key countries' policies. (author)