Japan's Abe supports providing nuke technology to India

WASHINGTON: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has suggested to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Tokyo may accept Indo-US nuclear cooperation even though New Delhi has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, sources said on Wednesday.

Japan's support, which comes at a time when Washington is trying to secure an agreement from a group of 45 nuclear supplier countries to export technology to India, has been conveyed to the US government, said the sources familiar with last week's talks between Singh and Abe.

A US administration official indicated that the United States expects Japan's support.

"My understanding is that the major countries in the Nuclear Suppliers Group - Russia, Germany, Britain, France, Australia and Japan - would be in agreement," the official said.

Washington needs the agreement from the group, which has imposed restrictions on nuclear trade with India and requires the group's guidelines to be changed before it can sell nuclear reactors and fuel to New Delhi, but Japan - the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks - had withheld expressing its position on the proposal.

According to earlier reports, Abe had told the Indian Prime Minister during his visit to Japan that Tokyo was still "mulling" its stance.

But a source said the Japanese premier had told him that Japan "would like to consider (its support) in a forward-looking manner.

"Japan's stance reflects the country's eagerness to strengthen ties with New Delhi and its emphasis on the importance of Tokyo's alliance with Washington," the sources said.

In addition to the NSG's agreement, India needs to sign a safeguard agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency that would allow international inspectors to visit the country's nuclear sites, before it can receive US nuclear technology.

Many US nuclear experts have criticized the US cooperation with India outside the framework of the NPT, saying it is likely to erode the credibility of the international nuclear nonproliferation regime.

One of the sources said Japan, which is seeking India's membership of the NPT, has no option but to agree to the US move given that there are other countries with nuclear issues, such as Iran and North Korea.

"Given the nuclear issues concerning Iran and North Korea, the significance of subjecting India to IAEA inspections is great," the source said.

The sources said former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had conveyed the same stance when he met with US President George W Bush in June.

Koizumi stepped down as premier in September, and Abe was elected as his successor.

The US official expressed confidence that the major members in the NSG, such as Japan, Britain and Germany, will lead the efforts at "arriving at a consensus" in the group.

The official said China is unlikely to stand in the way as Washington seeks the lifting of the nuclear trade restrictions with India.