[While the news report dated Nov 26, reproduced at sl. II below, declares that "(n)uclear deal tops Japan PM Shinzo Abe's agenda during India visit", the latest report dated Dec. 8, reproduced at sl. III below, makes no mention of it at all. That's quite significant. Be that as it may, the report from Japan, at sl. I below, in the meanwhile tells us: "Abe visit unlikely to lead to nuclear deal with India’s Modi". It further elaborates: "It may take a few more meetings between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and India’s Narendra Modi before the two countries seal a civil nuclear agreement."
The attempt to have a nuclear deal between Japan and India is going on at least since 2010 (see: <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/india-unity/conversations/messages/38208>). And, a lot of expectations were raised in the run-up to Abe's last visit to India in January 2014 But nothing tangible happened (see: <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/india-unity/conversations/messages/52913>). Nor during Modi's subsequent visit to Japan (see: 'Modi's Japan Visit: The Grand Failure of India-Japan Nuclear Deal to Materialise' at <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/india-unity/conversations/messages/54554>). The same story, as it appears, is set to repeat this time as well. There is enormous opposition to the proposed deal with India, a non-signatory to the NPT, within Japan.] I/III http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/12/04/business/abe-visit-unlikely-lead-nuclear-deal-indias-modi/ Abe visit unlikely to lead to nuclear deal with India’s Modi BY RAJESH KUMAR SINGH BLOOMBERG NEW DELHI – It may take a few more meetings between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and India’s Narendra Modi before the two countries seal a civil nuclear agreement. Modi will use Abe’s visit next week to lobby Japan to join the list of countries India can rely on for nuclear technology or fuel to help bring reliable and clean power to its 1.3 billion people. Japan, the only country to suffer nuclear attacks, has refrained from sealing a deal because India has not yet joined the global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “Prime Minister Abe’s visit will speed up the talks and I hope the deal can be signed when the two heads of state meet the next time,” Sekhar Basu, secretary at the Department of Atomic Energy, said in an interview in New Delhi. “We’re making very good progress, but I don’t think we are in a position to sign a deal during this meeting,” which starts Dec. 11. Any bilateral agreement would be the responsibility of India’s external affairs ministry, Basu said. India emerged from nuclear exile following an agreement with the U.S. in 2008, leading to the Nuclear Suppliers Group to lift a three-decade ban on sharing technology and fuel, including uranium supplies. The group, charged with reducing proliferation by controlling the transfer of materials used to develop an atomic weapon, was formed in 1974, the year of India’s first nuclear test. India has also signed civil nuclear accords with countries including the U.K., France, Australia and Canada. Modi is seeking to expand the country’s use of both nuclear and renewable energy sources to meet its climate goals, part of its commitments at the United Nations global-warming talks in Paris. The prime minister said this week that developed countries must take the lead in fighting climate change, calling for “aggressive mitigation actions” before 2020. “Japan can provide certain niche technologies, considerable experience in nuclear safety and funding for India’s civil nuclear program,” C. Uday Bhaskar, Director at New Delhi-based Society for Policy Studies said by phone. “India has gone out of its way to convince Japan that whatever anxieties it has are unfounded.” A deal with Japan would strengthen ties to U.S. reactor suppliers Westinghouse Electric Co., controlled by Toshiba Corp., and General Electric Co., which has a venture with Hitachi Ltd. It’ll also help India access cheaper financing and specialized steel from Japan used for nuclear projects, Basu said. “The two governments are currently negotiating a nuclear treaty,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday. “India has not signed the NPT and the government is aware of various arguments concerning nuclear cooperation with India.” Even if it signs a deal with Japan, India’s efforts to raise nuclear capacity are challenged by laws that leave equipment makers, in addition to the plant operators, liable for accidents. Foreign and local suppliers including General Electric Co. have opposed the rules. India is on track to expand its nuclear generation capacity to 10 gigawatts by 2019 from 5.8 gigawatts this year. Meeting its goal of 63 gigawatts by 2032 requires imported fuel supplies and reactor designs. II/III. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-11-26/news/68582450_1_japan-pm-shinzo-abe-security-cooperation-nuclear-partnership Nuclear deal tops Japan PM Shinzo Abe's agenda during India visit Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, ET Bureau Nov 26, 2015, 06.35AM IST NEW DELHI: Shinzo Abe's maiden trip to India as the PM mid-December since the Narendra Modi government was voted to power could be historic with the two governments making efforts to seal the much-delayed civil nuclear cooperation besides expanding defence cooperation with an eye on contributing towards stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Snipped III. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Shinzo-Abes-India-visit-from-December-11-talks-Varanasi-visit-on-agenda/articleshow/50085438.cms Shinzo Abe's India visit from December 11; talks, Varanasi visit on agenda PTI | Dec 8, 2015, 08.49AM IST NEW DELHI: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will arrive here on Friday on a three-day visit to hold annual summit talks with Narendra Modi with a focus on forging greater synergies between two major Asian economies and take forward the special strategic ties. In the 9th annual Indo-Japan summit talks, Modi and Abe will review implementation of various decisions taken in course of last one year to enhance economic ties, particularly in the trade and investment sector. "The visit of Prime Minister Abe is for the annual summit meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the external affairs ministry said. The summit meeting will be held on December 12 and Abe is likely to visit Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Modi, on the same day. Modi will accompany Abe during his visit to Varanasi. Abe had accompanied Modi during his visit to Kyoto. During his visit, Abe is expected to go to the Buddhist site Sarnath and also attend the aarti on the banks of river Ganga. At the last Summit meeting held in Tokyo last year, the two prime ministers had agreed to elevate the relationship to "special strategic and global partnership". Modi had visited Japan from August 30 to September 3 last year during which that country had announced doubling of its private and public investment in India to about USD 34 billion over a period of five years. During the summit talks last year, Modi and Abe had agreed to enhance defence and strategic cooperation to a new level and also decided to speed up negotiations on civil nuclear deal. While agreeing on greater defence equipment and technology cooperation, the two sides had decided to expedite discussions on modalities for the sale of Japanese US-2 amphibian aircraft. Foreign secretary S Jaishankar had held talks with top Japanese officials in Tokyo last month to finalise agenda and other details of Abe's visit here. India and Japan have been expanding their economic and strategic engagement in recent years resulting in cooperation in a vast swathe of fields including defence and security. The economic engagement witnessed significant rise after both countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2011. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
