Japan non-committal on NSG support, asks India to sign NPT

Japan, a key member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) but also a nation which has a defence budget of that amounts to 1 per cent of its GDP, is covered by the US nuclear umbrella under a security treaty with the US, and has increased  its missile defense budget in 06-07 following North Korea's volley of rocket launches by 50 per cent, asked India to sign the Nuclear non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban treaty (CTBT). Japan gave no clear answer to whether it would support India at the forthcoming NSG meeting scheduled for 21 August.

After talks with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee who sought Japan's support, Foreign Minister Masshiko Koumura said Tokyo needed to be reassured that the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement would  not undermine non-proliferation efforts.

Mukherjee sought to allay the concerns, saying the Indo-US nuclear deal is "limited to peaceful energy programme" and asserted that New Delhi has an impeccable record on the non-proliferation front despite not being a signatory to the NPT.

"We seek cooperation of the international community... We are aware of Japan's sensitivity. In view of that I reiterated our firm commitment to total disarmament and strict adherence to conditions of non-proliferation as enshrined in various treaties," Mukherjee said at a joint press conference with Koumura.

He said though India is not a signatory to NPT or any other pact, India fulfills "all major conditionalities" required for non-proliferation.

Koumura, while noting that Japan is the only one to have suffered an atomic bomb, said his country needs to be sure that the Indo-US nuclear deal is "satisfactory" in the sense that it will further strengthen disarmament and not undermine it.

He said Japan would "join the discussions which will be held in future", apparently referring to the August 21-22 meeting of NSG to consider waiver for India.

The NSG takes decisions by consensus, and if members are un able to reach a consensus in the Consultative Group, a larger plenary of the NSG is convened. The United States is seeking on behalf of India (which is not an NSG member) a clean exemption for india to engage in nuclear commerce without signing the NPT or the CTBT, in order to operationalise the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement. India wants the exemption to be unconditional but the US has warned that conditions might be attached to the exemption.