Japan noncommittal on support to India-US N-deal

NEW DELHI (Agencies) - Japan’s Foreign Minister on Tuesday said Tokyo needed assurance a crucial nuclear accord between India and the United States will strengthen disarmament efforts after key talks here on the issue.
Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee discussed the pact, which would lift nuclear sanctions against India after it tested atomic weapons.
“We need to confirm that this nuclear cooperation agreement ... will not undermine disarmament efforts,” Komura told reporters after the talks.
The Japanese Minister also pressed India to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
“Japan has been continuously requesting India to join the NPT and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. This is something we will not change our position on and continue to ask India,” Komura said.
Japan is a key player in the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which controls the transfer of nuclear material and needs to approve the India-US deal. Its rules ban trade with states that have not signed the NPT.
“We need to confirm that the nuclear cooperation is satisfactory, in the sense that it will further strengthen international disarmament and not undermine nuclear disarmament,” Komura said. “We intend to join discussions which will be held in future.”
“We are fully aware of Japan’s sensitivity to this issue,” Mukherjee said. “Keeping that in view, I reiterated our firm commitment for total nuclear disarmament and strict adherence to the conditions of non-proliferation.”
“On our commitment of all major conditionality of NPT in nuclear trade, India’s record is impeccable,” Mukherjee said. “Therefore, I don’t find any difficulty in getting the cooperation of the international community.”