Nuclear pacts on Modi’s agenda in Japan

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Japan for a three-day visit on Thursday as India looks to sign a pact to boost nuclear energy production.

Officials said that all efforts are being made to seal the nuclear pact, which has to be cleared by the Japanese parliament. If it is done, this would be Japan’s first civil nuclear cooperation pact with a country that has not joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Japan, the only country to have suffered nuclear bombings, has remained wary of signing a nuclear agreement with India, which is a non-NPT country.

“Our partnership with Japan is characterised as a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. India and Japan see each other through a prism of shared Buddhist heritage, democratic values, and commitment to an open, inclusive and rules-based global order,” Modi said in a statement before leaving.

Modi’s visit, from November 10-12 for the annual summit, will be his second trip to the country as Prime Minister. He also had a stopover in Bangkok to pay his respects to revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last month after a protracted illness.

During the visit, Modi will also call on Emperor Akihito. India is looking forward to reviewing the entire spectrum of the Indo-Japan bilateral cooperation. The PM will meet his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on November 11.

“Today, Japan is one of the top investors in India. But many Japanese companies, which are household names in India, have been committed to the potential of Indian economy for several decades. In Tokyo, I will have a detailed interaction with top business leaders from India and Japan, to look for ways to further strengthen our trade and investment ties,” he added.

The other area of focus will be the cooperation on the high-speed rails — a pet project of Modi. “On 12 November, Prime Minister Abe and I will travel to Kobe on the famed Shinkansen — the technology that will be deployed for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Railway. Both of us will also visit the Kawasaki Heavy Industries facility in Kobe, where high speed railway is manufactured,” the PM said.

“The High Speed Railway cooperation between India and Japan is a shining example of the strength of our cooperation. It will not only boost our trade and investment ties, but will also create skilled jobs in India, improve our infrastructure and give a boost to our ‘Make in India’ mission,” the PM said.