13.12.15

Japan gives India nuke deal



More than five years after they entered into negotiations for civil nuclear cooperation, India and Japan successfully concluded the same, signifying an agreement “in principle“. The two countries signed an MoU for peaceful uses of nuclear energy after Japanese PM Shinzo Abe expressed satisfaction with India's unilateral and voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing.
Apart from the nuclear energy MoU, India and Japan signed 15 other agreements, including one for transfer of defence equipment and technology cooperation and another for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, after a bilateral meeting between PM Narendra Modi and Abe. The India-Japan civil nuclear agreement, even if only in-principle as the Japanese side put it, was the highlight of the Modi-Abe summit meet. The agreement arrived at will now have to go through legal and technical scrubs by Japanese authorities before it is opened up to scrutiny by the legislature. Japan also warned India that should it conduct a nuclear test, the cooperation will be reviewed.
The joint statement issued after the meeting said this agreement “will be signed after the technical details are finalized, including those related to the necessary internal procedures“.While Abe said it wouldn't have been possible for other leaders to achieve this agreement, Modi described it as a shining symbol of a new level of mutual confidence and strategic partnership in the cause of a peaceful and secure world.
Apart from reprocessing of spent fuel and tracking of nuclear material, one real sticking point was Japan's insistence on assurance from India, which has not signed NPT, that it was not going to conduct any more nuclear tests.
India, however, was not willing to go beyond the statement made by then foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee in 2008 before the NSG declaring that India remained “committed to a voluntary , unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing“. The Japanese side seems to have finally relented.
In what is sure to not go unnoticed in Beijing, the two leaders also discussed the security situation in the South China Sea, emphasising the significance of freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded lawful commerce in international waters. “In view of critical importance of sea lanes of communications in South China Sea for regional energy security and trade and commerce, the two PMs, noting the developments in South China Sea, called upon all states to avoid unilateral actions that could lead to tensions in the region,“ the statement said, China's Global Times had said on Friday that Abe's India visit is aimed at containing China and the strong mention of South China Sea is likely to evoke a reaction from Beijing.
Abe and Modi also reiterated their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. “They called upon all countries to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 and other relevant resolutions designating terrorist entities.They also called for eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, in disrupting terrorist networks and financing channels, and stopping cross-border movement of terrorists. They underlined the need for all countries to effectively deal with trans-national terrorism emanating from their territory,“ said the statement.

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