Japan, India clinch ‘civil’ nuclear power deal

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe, his Japanese counterpart, said they would run joint naval exercises and agreed to transfer technology to increase arms production in India.

After the talks, Modi also announced that “Recognising our special relationship, India will extend ‘visa on arrival to all Japanese citizens from 1st March 2016.”.

Under the two security deals, India and Japan will share defense technology, military equipment and information, while under the civil nuclear deal, both countries chose to work on cooperation.

The Indian side, co-chaired by Bharat Forge Chairman and Managing Director Baba Kalyani, also pitched to foster linkages between large Japanese companies and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India and enhanced collaborations in the human resource space to promote the development of soft infrastructure. Japan was the fourth biggest investor in India between April 2000 and September 2015, with 7 percent of the total, compared with 0.5 percent for China, according to India’s commerce ministry.

A MOU on technical co-operation between India’s Research Designs & Standards Organisation and Japan’s Railway Technical Research Institute covers areas including safety, maintenance, sustainability and capacity enhancement.

The 16 agreements signed including those related to Make in India, bullet train and civil nuclear energy, will prove to be important milestones in the bilateral relations, it said. South China Sea with regard to freedom of navigation and overflight too was discussed and the two leaders called upon all States to avoid unilateral actions that could lead to tensions in the region. “They are very nationalistic, center-right prime ministers who have a certain idea about the rise of China and about its implications for both these states”.

Modi earlier began his speech by describing Abe as “a personal friend and a great champion of India-Japan partnership”. In a world of intense global engagements, few visits are truly historic or change the course of a relationship. JAPAN TO IMPORT MARUTI SUZUKI CARS Modi on Saturday said that for the “first time” India will export to Japan cars which will be made at home by Maruti Suzuki as part of the “Make in India” initiative. A section in Japan was of the view that the pact should not be finalised as India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty. CPI leader D Raja accused the government of not taking the opposition into the confidence before this crucial nuclear deal and he asked that how will it be beneficial for the people of India and moreover it is just going to serve the interest of Japanese companies.

“If India does a test and recedes from its commitment, it will be quite natural for Japan to review its cooperation with India”.

Image: Indian and Japanese prime ministers Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe signing the agreement in New Delhi.

An energy accord with Japan would allow India to boost its nuclear-power production, easing worldwide pressure for the South Asian nation to cut carbon emissions generated by its coal-fired power plants. “We expect to export 20,000 to 30,000 units in a year”.

The fundamental structure of the this agreement is solid, he asserted.

Under the new visa system, Indian travellers can stay in Japan for tourism goal for a maximum of one month and the multiple-entry visa will be valid for years, up from three years, said news agencies.