NEW DELHI: In a relief to India, Japan has decided to resume negotiations with New Delhi for a civil nuclear cooperation deal this week.
The Japanese government, under its nationalist PM Shinzo Abe, had suggested that it may restart talks with India which had remained stalled since the Fukushima disaster in early 2011.
The actual start of the 3rd round of negotiations that will take place on 3 September 2013 in Tokyo will still be touted as a major achievement for none other than PM Manmohan Singh himself, known for his investment in relations with Tokyo, as there is still a strong anti-nuclear power sentiment in Japan.
Sources said that the 4th round of negotiations on the India-Japan Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy will be held in Tokyo on 3 September 2013.
The Indian side will be led by Gautam Bambawale, joint secretary, (East Asia), ministry of external affairs (head of the Indian delegation) and includes Venkatesh Varma joint secretary (Disarmament) apart from officials of the department of atomic energy.
The Japanese will be led by Makita Shimokawa, deputy-director general, Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs department, ministry of foreign affairs.
The third round of the talks were held in November 2010. The fourth round of talks follow the summit meeting between Manmohan Singh and Shinzo Abe which took place in May 2013 in Tokyo where they had reaffirmed the importance of civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries while recognizing that nuclear safety as a priority for both governments.
They had directed their officials to accelerate the negotiations of an Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy towards an early conclusion.
TOI
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