Japan, India sign civil nuclear coop

Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the MOU signing ceremony in Kobe. After their bilateral meeting, bo.

After an nearly two-hour ride on the famous Shinkansen bullet train, Prime Minister Modi arrived in the city of Kobe, where he was received by Prime Minister Abe at Hyogo prefecture guest house upon reaching Shin-Kobe from Tokyo.

(Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP).

(Toru Yamanaka/Pool Photo via AP).

The civil nuclear agreement, along with nine other agreements, were signed following Friday’s delegation-level talks headed by Modi and Abe.

Pm Modi will reach Goa on Sunday to lay foundation of greenfield airport at the Mopa plateau and an electronic city in Tuem, both located in North Goa’s Pernem sub-district.

Japan, the only country to have been hit by atom bombs, has vast sensitivity on the issue and a nuclear deal with India will be significant since it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Sections in Japan have always been highly critical of Tokyo making available nuclear technology to India, saying such a transfer of technology and material could help boost India’s nuclear weapons programme.

It is the first time Japan has signed a nuclear cooperation accord with a non-signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

The termination provisions in the Indo-Japan civilian nuclear deal are not binding on India, the government has clarified in the wake of queries from several quarters.

China, which has in the past expressed reservations about India’s entry into the mainstream of global nuclear commerce, said on Monday in response to the nuclear agreement signed in Tokyo that it believed “all countries are entitled to the peaceful use of nuclear energy” as long as they fulfilled “the worldwide obligation of nuclear non-proliferation”.

“It matches with our country’s stance to promote nonproliferation and a world without nuclear weapons”.

Anti-nuclear groups denounced the agreement, citing threats to safety and regional peace and increased risk of proliferation.

Modi said deeper economic engagement, growth of trade, manufacturing and investment ties, focus on clean energy, partnership to secure the citizens, and cooperation on infrastructure and skill development are among key priorities. The country has signed similar nuclear agreements with France, Russia, Britain and the United States. In Kobe, Mr Modi will visit the Kawasaki Heavy Industries facility, where the high speed railway is manufactured.