Asahi wrote that the GOJ has begun discussing with the Turkish government the possibility of giving up on their agreed-upon plan for an alliance between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and French businesses to construct four nuclear reactors in the city of Sinop on the Black Sea. The paper wrote that negotiations with Turkey stalled after the Japanese side estimated that the construction cost would likely increase to around 4 trillion yen due to heightened safety requirements in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. The first reactor was expected to come online in 2023. The project reportedly gained momentum after Prime Minister Abe and Turkish President Erdogan confirmed its implementation at their summit meeting in 2013. However, according to a GOJ source, the two leaders discussed the difficulty of realizing the project and the possibility of canceling it at their bilateral talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina. The paper added that the GOJ is hoping to continue energy cooperation with Turkey despite the possible cancellation of the existing project and plans to send Industry Minister Seko to Ankara in mid-January or later to propose a plan to construct a cutting-edge coal-fired power plant in the nation. The paper commented that the possible cancellation of the project will likely derail Abe’s plans to boost Japan’s nuclear industry by exporting its technology to foreign nations as part of his growth strategy.