France Asks for Japan's Participation in Nuclear Sector Reshuffle

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Monday he proposed to his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe that the Japanese nuclear industry participate in the reorganisation of the French nuclear sector.

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd said in September it was in talks with French nuclear giant Areva and state-controlled utility EDF on possibly taking a stake in Areva's reactor-making subsidiary Areva NP.

EDF agreed in July to buy between 51 and 75 percent of Areva NP and said it would look for partners to take a minority stake.

Mitsubishi Heavy and Areva are working together on a nuclear plant in Turkey. The 4,800 megawatt plant in the Black Sea town of Sinop will use Atmea1 reactors developed by both companies.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka)