India, Japan to discuss nuclear deal on Monday

In a major breakthrough in its quest for nuclear technology, India will launch talks with Japan from Monday to seal a civilian atomic cooperation pact that will pave the way for the sale of advanced technology by Japanese firms like Mitsubishi and Hitachi.

Terming the development as 'very positive', sources said for Japan, the only country ever attacked with atomic weapons, the decision to go ahead with such a pact with a non-Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signatory country shows 'great resolve'.

"One has to understand that in Japan, the public sensitivity is very high on this issue. For the Japanese government to go ahead with such talks, shows great resolve and initiative," said sources.

The transfer of Japanese technology to India for civilian use requires a nuclear pact, but Tokyo has so far declined to conclude one as New Delhi has not signed the NPT.

While briefing reporters in Tokyo about the upcoming talks, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said it was a 'tough decision' for Tokyo to enter into talks with India, which owns nuclear weapons. Okada said the decision follows a consensus reached in September 2008 by the Nuclear Suppliers Group to allow India to start trading nuclear technologies for civilian nuclear programmes with NSG member states, Kyodo news agency said.

The talks on signing an inter-governmental accord for cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy will be held on June 28 and June 29.  India will be represented by Gautam Bambawale, joint secretary (East Asia) in ministry of external affairs and Mitsuru Kitano, deputy-director general, Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs department from the Japanese side.

Sources said discussions will be held on how to conduct talks in the future, and on the contents of agreement which is aimed at extending cooperation between India and Japan in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, which in the future will enable Japanese companies like Mitsubishi, Hitachi and Toshiba to set up projects in India.

"It will take several rounds of talks before the agreement is finalised, but this a major step," sources said.

Major atomic power companies of the United States and France, both of which already have a bilateral nuclear cooperation treaty with India, have urged Tokyo to sign the nuclear pact with New Delhi so they can use Japanese technology for a project to build reactors in the country.

The other countries with which India has already signed the civil nuclear deal include the US, France, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Argentina and Namibia.