Michael Regan, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said while meeting with his Japanese counterpart this week, that “the opportunities for advanced nuclear technology will be critical if we’re going to meet our climate goals…. I think the science tells us that we have to respond to the climate crisis with a sense of urgency, and nuclear energy and nuclear technology has, and can have a role in continuing with a zero-emissions contribution to the climate.” Japan’s new Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, has recently made the decision to return the country to nuclear power production, and has pushed for smaller and “safer” nuclear reactors to be built, apparently including small modular reactors.