Fuel program may violate U.S.-Japan nuclear pact

A U.S.-initiated international program aimed at safely providing nuclear fuel to developing nations, in which Japan has agreed to take part, may violate the Japan-U.S. pact on atomic energy cooperation, Japanese government sources said Saturday.

The program, intended to develop new and more efficient ways to produce nuclear fuel and provide it to other countries, may infringe on the 1988 agreement for cooperation of peaceful uses of atomic energy.