NEW DELHI: Six years after they began negotiating, India and Japan finally signed a landmark nuclear agreement, opening the doors for India to commission nuclear reactors by global entities and possibly boosting India’s claim for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
The deal is significant in view of the reservations of Japan, the only country to have been attacked by nuclear weapons, and for India’s efforts to diversify the sources of equipment and technology it will need to boost nuclear power generation.
Referring to the agreement, the highlight of his visit to Japan, PM Narendra Modi said, “Today’s signing of the agreement for cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy marks a historic step in our engagement to build a clean energy partnership.” Abe added, “It (the agreement) is in line with Japan’s ambition to create a world without nuclear weapons.”
The completion of the nuclear deal comes as the NSG is meeting in Vienna to discuss, among other issues, if non-NPT (nuclear non-proliferation Treaty) countries like India can enter this exclusive grouping. The India-Japan deal, sources believe, will have an impact. Foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted, “A landmark deal for a cleaner, greener world. PM Narendra Modi and PM Shinzo Abe witness exchange of the landmark civil nuclear agreement.”
