ELECTION 99
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

India, Japan to begin security talks in January

Ramesh Arora in Tokyo

India and Japan would begin their security dialogue in January next when Defence Minister George Fernandes comes on an official visit, Japanese Minister of State I Yamamoto said today.

Talking to Indian journalists accompanying External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Yamamoto said India and Japan would exchange information on each other's security perceptions and begin to build cooperation in the defence field.

He said normal relations between the two countries were important for the security of the Asia-Pacific region.

Yamamoto said Japan's defence ties with India would not affect its close relations with the United States in this field.

India and Japan decided to establish a security dialogue two days ago when Singh, who is the first Indian minister to visit Japan after last year's nuclear tests, had official discussions with Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono.

They had also agreed to begin discussions on disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation at the level of joint secretaries, for which no dates have been set as yet.

Yamamoto, who described Singh's talks with Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Kono as ''successful,'' said the question of India signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty would not cast a shadow over developing close economic relations.

''I believe the CTBT or the nuclear tests (by India) would not overshadow other relations. We can make use of the enormous goodwill among people in both countries,'' he added.

He said notwithstanding the CTBT, economic cooperation between the two countries was necessary. Already, dialogue between the businessmen of the two countries was continuing.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report