India, Japan sign historic nuclear deal

TOKYO: Ending years of visions and revisions, India and Japan have taken a historic step to sign a civil nuclear agreement that will enable New Delhi to get Japanese atomic technology and pitchfork bilateral relations on a higher trajectory.

The agreement was signed in the presence of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at Kantei, the office of the prime minister of Japan.

The signing of the agreement on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy “reflects a new level of mutual confidence and strategic partnership in the cause of clean energy, economic development and a peaceful and secure world,” said a joint statement issued after the talks between the leaders of India and Japan.

The signing of the pact marks a historic step in our engagement to build a clean energy partnership, said Mr Modi.

The deal will enable the export of Japanese nuclear technology and equipment to an India hungry for clean energy and will fast-track the implementation of the India-US civil nuclear deal. It will mean billions of dollars in business for Japanese nuclear giants like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Hitachi Ltd, which have been severely hit by the post-Fukushima scenario.

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Manish Chand: Manish Chand is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) and India and World, a pioneering magazine focused on international affairs. He is CEO, Centre for Global India Insights, an India-based think tank focused on global affairs.