Japan is all set to be the new Indian ally on the block on

RELATED ARTICLES India committed to forging deeper relations with Japan Mahindra Satyam, Japan's SBI Holdings form $50m fund EU asks India to help bring Iran to nuclear talks Japan’s living national treasures Texas Instruments closing Houston, Japan plants to cut costs

civil nuclear energy business with its prime minister Yukio Hatoyama expressing his willingness to collaborate with India’s civil nuclear energy programme. This hint by Hatoyama is a shot in the arm for India’s campaign for energy security and power diversification to meet the every growing demand of both industry and farm sectors. Both sides stopped short of signing a formal explicit civil nuclear collaboration agreements as details of engagement on this front were still being worked out by both Tokyo and New Delhi.

India being not a signatory to the comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) has been the biggest stumbling block for exploring full-fledged partnership with Japan on civil nuclear energy front.

Japan has been a strong proponent of CTBT in the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic attacks. But on Tuesday, strong signals emanated from Tokyo making a concession vis-à-vis India.

The visiting Japanese prime minister told newsmen that his country would consider nuclear trade with India provided New Delhi assures that high-tech imports would not be used for weapons or diverted to other countries.

He also hinted that Tokyo would consider relaxing the restrictions on high technology exports to India. Hatoyama, first Japanese prime minister to visit India in last 25 years, held talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh over a range of bilateral, regional and global issues like enhanced trade and investment engagement, upgrading security dialogue, UN reforms, terrorism, climate change and nuclear disarmament. Hatoyama, however, asked India to be a party to CTBT — that stops a country from conducting nuclear tests — along with US and China. Singh said: “Should the US and China ratify the CTBT, a new situation will emerge.”

“I had fairly extensive discussions in civil nuclear energy. I explained to the prime minister (Japan) the circumstances under which India took the nuclear weapon route,” Singh said referring to the 1998 nuclear tests that led countries in nuclear suppliers group (NSG) to impose sanctions on India. A nuclear accord with Japan will further India’s campaign to enhance independence on energy front. Japanese companies Hitachi and Toshiba have joint ventures with US-based General Electric and Westinghouse respectively. GE Hitachi and Toshiba-Westinghouse are already in talks with Indian government for supply of nuclear technology and materials. After obtaining NSG’s waiver removing 34-year-old ban to trade in nuclear fuel, India has inked civil nuclear pacts for fuel and equipment with France, Russia, Kazakhstan, and the US. A joint statement by the two prime ministers said India and Japan sought enhanced bilateral cooperation on energy under the India-Japan ministerial-level energy dialogue. “The two prime ministers shared the view that nuclear energy can play an important role as a safe, sustainable and non-polluting source of energy,” it said.

India and Japan also unveiled an action plan to advance security cooperation that provides for a framework for regular cabinet or senior official level dialogue. The plan also covers cooperation in defence, counter-terrorism, fight against trans-national crimes, anti-piracy action, UN reforms, disarmament and non-proliferation.