Six years after the negotiations began, India and Japan finally signed signed the historic civilian nuclear deal during the annual bilateral summit held in Tokyo. Negotiations which began in 2010 during the UPA government were stuck on India’s non-NPT status as Japan sought assurances that the deal would be used for peaceful purposes. Further, India did not fit into Japan’s ‘Hikaku San Gensoku’ or three non-nuclear principles. These principles adopted in a resolution by Japanese parliament provide that Japan would neither possess nor manufacture nuclear weapons, nor shall it permit their introduction into Japanese territory.
This deal marks a fundamental shift in Japan’s policy and India is the first non-NPT signatory with which Japan now has a pact.
India’s gains from the Civil Nuclear deal:
Improve India’s option for Nuclear Reactors & parts:
- The deal will bring Japan into the Indian nuclear market where France and Russia have already have a strong presence. Apart from the Russian reactors, the nuclear reactors planned with France and the U.S. depend on Japanese parts. The deal will facilitate use of Japanese parts.
- Further, GE, Westinghouse, and Areva, the companies that are planning reactors in India have important ownership stakes of Japanese companies Hitachi Ltd, Toshiba and Mitsubishi. These companies were stopped from doing business with India without a final nuclear deal.
Positive impact on India’s bid to NSG:
- The nuclear deal comes as the NSG is meeting in Vienna to discuss if non-NPT (nuclear non-proliferation Treaty) countries like India can enter this exclusive group. The India-Japan civil nuclear deal will have a positive impact.
Improve India-Japan Relationship:
- The nuclear deal reflects a new level of mutual confidence and strategic partnership between India & Japan. Apart from Nuclear field, cooperation in other fields such as trade, terrorism, clean energy, climate change, high speed railway (bullet trains) has potential to reach new levels in future.
Concerns of Civil Nuclear:
Japan’s option to scarp the Nuclear Deal:Â
- Japan Times has reported that the deal includes the option that Japan can give a year’s notice before terminating the deal, in case, India breaks the nuclear testing moratorium that it had extended to the Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2008.
The deal is not valid unless ratified by Japan’s Parliament:
- The Nuclear deal can only be implemented after it is ratified by the Diet, Japan’s parliament.
