Japan non-committal on N-deal during Modi’s visit

NEW DELHI: Ahead of Narendra Modi's visit to Tokyo next month, Japan remains non-committal on signing the final agreement for civil nuclear cooperation with India during the meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries. While Japan's foreign ministry remained positive about the agreement, it told TOI that the MoU signed between the two countries for cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy was being legally vetted.

"Japan and India are by no means stagnant though and we are looking forward to enhancing our strategic partnership further," said Yasuhisa Kawamura, director general of press and public diplomacy division. It is important for Japan to ensure that the MoU signed last year for the purpose stands legal scrutiny before it is formalised through an agreement, which India is looking forward to signing when Modi visits Tokyo on November 11. If the agreement is indeed signed, it will be the biggest takeaway from Modi's third summit meeting with Abe. The final agreement will also be put up for scrutiny before the Japanese parliament (Diet).

After the 2015 summit meeting, Japanese officials had stated that the two countries had an agreement "in principle" for civil nuclear cooperation but also warned that Japan would review the agreement if India chose to conduct a nuclear test. The agreement with Japan is crucial for India as it will also help US nuclear vendors source equipment from their Japanese partners. Apart from other contentious issues like reprocessing of spent fuel and nuclear material tracking, one major sticking point was Japan's insistence on assurance from India — which has not signed the NPT — that it officially commit to Japan 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 NSG declared that India remained "committed to a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing". The Japanese side seemed to have finally relented in arriving at the basic agreement in 2015.

Another major takeaway from the visit could be an announcement on the agreement under consideration for purchase of 12 Shinmaywa US-2 search & rescue aircraft from Japan, even if the agreement itself is not signed. As reported by TOI on September 11 this year, Japan remains committed to the deal and is even willing to reduce the price of the aircraft to facilitate an agreement. In a sign of the strength of India's strategic partnership with Japan, top Japanese defence ministry officials said Japan was interested in selling the aircraft to India not for any economic gain but because India was a friendly country