TOKYO, Nov. 29_(Kyodo) - (EDS: CORRECTING TIMELINE IN LAST GRAF)
A visiting U.S. delegation on cargo security said Thursday it is seeking cooperation from the Japanese government and the industry sector for implementing a new U.S. law mandating the scanning of all U.S.-bound cargo containers before being loaded at foreign ports.
In accordance with the Sept. 11 Commission Act of 2007 passed into law in August, all containers bound for the United States from all other countries will have to be scanned by radiation detection and imaging equipment. The system must be implemented at all ports by 2012.
The law will help "enhance security without impeding the flow of legitimate trade," Lauren Zucker, director of cargo security policy of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, told reporters in Tokyo.
Zucker, who is leading the delegation, said her team visited Japan at this early stage to show the Japanese side that "we are really committed to working in partnership (with Japan) to develop a realistic and responsible approach to fulfill the (legal) requirement."
She said the delegation has so far received satisfactory responses from Japanese government officials, but declined to comment on a specific time frame for implementation of the scanning program at Japanese ports, saying that the delegation is still at "the beginning of dialogue."
Zucker also noted that the scanning system can be applied to global supply chains. The scanning equipment provides "a potential opportunity to secure not just the U.S. part of supply chains but also global chains," she said.
According to Zucker, pilot research is currently in progress on the scanning program at ports in Qasim in Pakistan, Puerto Cortez in Honduras, and Southampton in Britain.
Under the project, called Secure Freight Initiative, the department will also deploy the scanning, though in a more limited way, at four other ports -- Singapore, Hong Kong, Busan in South Korea, and Salalah in Oman.
The homeland department will then submit a report on the pilot projects to Congress in April 2008.
