Japan, Vietnam to move ahead on nuclear plant deal

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan and Vietnam have agreed to move ahead with a plan to export Japanese nuclear technology to build reactors in Vietnam despite Japan's ongoing nuclear crisis.

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung also agreed Monday to jointly mine rare earth minerals in Vietnam.

Dung told a joint news conference in Tokyo: "We will move ahead with the construction of nuclear power stations with (Japan's) support."

It means Japan's plan to export nuclear technology is still on track despite its own freeze on building new plants because of safety concerns after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.

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