Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today met with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and signed the Civil Nuclear Deal between India and Japan. PM Narendra Modi, after signing the deal said, “Our strategic partnership is not only for the good & security of our own societies. It also brings peace, stability & balance to region.” PM Modi added, “I wish to thank Prime Minister Abe for the support extended for India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.”
This move comes after six years of negotiation. After the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster, the nuclear deal negotiations were halted due to political resistance in Japan.
After many years, the deal was signed today on November 11. This nuclear treaty will bring Japan’s export nuclear technology to our country, and it will be a necessary step towards India’s nuclear deals with the US, France and other countries.
Soon after hitting the demonetization masterstroke in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for his second visit to Japan in order to seal the civilian nuclear deal between the two countries. This is Modi’s fourth visit to Japan over the last decade (twice as PM and twice as Gujrat Chief Minister).
Soon after landing in Japan, Modi tweeted, “Reached Japan. Looking forward to fruitful deliberations that will boost economic and cultural ties between India and Japan.”
Statement from the Press:
Commenting on the issue, a top Japanese government official said, “Terrorism, which has been an outlier subject in Japan’s national discourse, was brought closer home in July, when seven of our own — five men and two women, who were associated with the Japan International Cooperation Agency — were killed in a terrorist attack in Dhaka.
Both the countries are expected to sign around 10 different agreements which highlight issues like skill development, culture etc. Nevertheless, the prime focus of this meet was the possible signing of the civilian nuclear deal that was initiated in June 2010 but got stuck after the Fukushima disaster in December 2015.
Commenting on the possible signing of the deal, Kumao Kaneko, a former Japanese diplomat and negotiator on nuclear issues, said that the NTP has been a treaty of “convenience and expediency”. Though India adheres to NPT principles, but has not inked the treaty yet. By signing the agreement, Japan is doing the correct thing, however, the Abe government will have to work hard in the Diet (Japan’s parliament) to get the naysayers on board.
