New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's likely visit to Tokyo next month, Japan has conveyed to India its keen desire for civil nuclear cooperation with India. It has also sought some clarifications on the civil liability law that will provide the framework of such cooperation.
They have conveyed that they are interested in civil nuclear cooperation with India, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia said in a telephonic interview from Tokyo.
The issue of carrying forward talks on civil nuclear cooperation was discussed in a joint working group on nuclear energy, part of the broader India-Japan Energy Dialogue, in Tokyo Tuesday, said Ahluwalia.
"They have sought certain details and clarifications on issues related to civil nuclear liability law from India's department of atomic energy," Ahluwalia said. Ahluwalia was speaking after co-chairing the sixth round of the India-Japan Energy Dialogue that concluded in Tokyo on Wednesday.
If Manmohan Singh goes to Tokyo, likely next month, imparting a fresh thrust to negotiations for a civil nuclear deal will be high on the agenda. A decision on the prime ministerial visit is expected by next week, said well-placed sources.
Ahluwalia also stressed that the Japanese side has conveyed that they won't be eliminating their reliance on nuclear energy. Earlier, Japan had declared the goal of zero-nuclear energy by 2040, but following pressure from the powerful business lobby it has effectively given up this option.
The nuclear power plants currently supply over 30 per cent electricity to Japan. However, the March 2011 Fukushima radiation disaster has triggered a national rethink on the safety of nuclear energy in Japan, a nuclear non-proliferation hawk and the only country to have been attacked by atomic weapons.
India and Japan have already held three rounds of negotiations for a bilateral civil nuclear deal, but the talks stalled after the Fukushima radiation disaster. The foreign ministers of the two countries met in New Delhi early this year and instructed their negotiators to carry forward the nuclear negotiations. Tokyo, which backed the India-US civil nuclear deal in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, has been insisting that India accepts stricter non-proliferation commitments in view of strong sensitivities on the nuclear issue in Japan.
Ahluwalia also struck an upbeat note about the burgeoning multi-faceted cooperation and dialogue between India and Japan in the area of renewable and energy conservation. Many energy efficiency and conservation projects have been completed successfully with Japanese collaboration, he said.
Ahluwalia lauded the importance of the projects carried out by the Regional Energy Efficiency Center (REEC) set up in Chennai with technical assistance from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in promoting energy conservation. The Indian side has also proposed another REEC, he said. The proposal for a Gas Hydrate Research Centre has also been discussed, he said.
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