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NEW DELHI: Japan on Tuesday said it was taking a “cautious position” on a civilian nuclear agreement between India and the United States.
“The Japanese government has been taking a cautious position,” Japanese foreign ministry press secretary Mitsuo Sakaba told a news conference in New Delhi, where Tokyo is taking part as an observer in a regional summit.
Sakaba said the issue had come up during talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso on the sidelines of the regional meeting of South Asian nations.
“For Japan, the major problem in extending any (nuclear) assistance to India is the non-membership of India to the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” Sakaba said. “India is not a member … so that is a core problem for us.”
The agreement between New Delhi and Washington seeks to lift nuclear sanctions against India which tested atomic weapons in 1998.
Japan is a key player in the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which controls the transfer of nuclear material and needs to approve the India-US deal.
India has previously sought Japan's cooperation for nuclear technology during Singh's visit to Tokyo in December and Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's trip last month.
Tokyo is sensitive on nuclear issues as it is the only nation to have been attacked with atomic weapons.
“We understand India's need to develop nuclear energy … but we have very strong concerns in general terms on the proliferation issue,” the Japanese official said.
Under the agreement, New Delhi would put its civilian-use facilities under the safeguards of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The Japanese official said Tokyo was closely following negotiations between India and the IAEA.
