In February, the Center for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives (NSSPI) and the Texas A&M University Student Chapter of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management hosted a group of five students from various Japanese universities led by Prof. Akira Nishimura of the Tokyo Institute of Technology. The visit was part of the Japanese students’ Strategic Nuclear Education Program, where they conduct educational exchanges with foreign students in the area of nuclear science and engineering.
Six NSSPI students, along with the Japanese students, gave presentations on their ongoing research projects, and the INMM Student Chapter organized a joint discussion session for the NSSPI and Japanese students. The discussion covered the following topics: how the Fukushima decommissioning can be transformed into a dream project for young nuclear engineers and students; the importance of using research and test reactors in human resource development and the necessity of 
establishing new research and test reactors; how nuclear energy can be used in the future and how to cooperate for human resource development; methods of final disposal of radioactive waste development and technological development between Japan and the U.S.; how to determine disposal sites, methods of ensuring inter-generational fairness and social acceptability of nuclear energy; the technology necessary to recover from nuclear disasters (like the Fukushima nuclear accident); how R&D investment should be allocated to energy technology over the next five years; and what type of nuclear fuel cycle each country should adopt in the future.
The visit also included tour of the TRIGA-type research reactor, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Agency’s Disaster City, and several research facilities belonging to the Texas A&M Department of Nuclear Engineering.