The negotiations are taking place at high levels of the governments, including discussions between Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi and Luxembourg Prime Minister Juncker, during a May 2 EU-Japan Summit Meeting in Brussels. Luxembourg holds the EU presidency through June.

Following the May 2 meeting, Koizumi said "Discussions are proceeding so that an agreement can be produced among the six parties. We agreed that we should engage in efforts so an agreement can be reached as early as possible."

Controversy erupted shortly after the Summit on just what had been agreed. Luxembourg economics minister Jeannot Krecke told the press "Japan has agreed to accept the possibility that ITER be sited in Europe, which previously had been impossible for them." This report prompted a response from Hatsuhisa Takashima, a spokesperson for the Japanese Foreign Minister, who said, "We have not made any sort of policy or decision on this issue. Our position is to have discussion on that subject with the French."

French President Jacques Chirac told French television on May 4 "France is on the verge of getting ITER sited at Caderache. We will have it in Caderache." A report in the Japanese daily paper Yomiuri Shimbun the same day quoted an unnamed Japanese government source as saying the Japanese government may be prepared to accept the building of ITER in another country providing Japan wins construction work and jobs. The paper concluded "As a result, it is now highly likely that the reactor will be built in Caderache." However, Japan's vice science minister, Akio Yuuki immediately contradicted the report saying, "We are not considering giving up our bid (for ITER) at all. There is no change in our position."

A meeting was held May 5 in Paris between French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier and Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura. After that meeting Machimura told reporters "We want to reach an agreement in May or June -- a mutually acceptable solution for both Japan and France." A spokesperson for EU science and research commissioner Janez Potocnik told reporters "This morning's meeting was very constructive, and helped us make progress on the roles of the host and non-host countries. We are very hopeful of an agreement by July."

However, one of the French negotiators, Pierre Lellouche told French radio RTL "As far as I know, the agreement has been reached (on the site) and should be finalized and announced in the coming weeks." Discussions are currently underway between the EU Commission's research director Achilleas Mitsos and Japan's chief negotiator Tetsuhisa Shirakawa on details of an agreement.