Japan today signalled it would approve a nuclear energy deal between India and the United States, raising the chances that the controversial pact will come into force.
The 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which controls the global flow of civilian atomic exports, is expected to meet Thursday in Vienna on the nuclear deal. Objections by any nation would scuttle the pact.
Japan, the only nation to have suffered atomic attack, had been one of the holdouts as it pressed for India to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
But Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said: "It may be biased to view the deal as going against nuclear non-proliferation efforts."
"For example, the issue of global warming has been getting serious in recent years and C02 emissions from emerging nations such as China and India are becoming a problem," said Machimura, the government's spokesman.
"It is important that India proceeds with nuclear power generation as clean energy," Machimura said. The deal would give India access to international nuclear technology after being shut out for decades for refusing to sign the NPT.
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Anti-nuclear campaigners have petitioned Japan to block the pact, a key priority for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who nearly faced the collapse of his government over the issue.
Machimura said the UN atomic watchdog IAEA's supervision of Indian nuclear facilities "can lead to the strengthening of the NPT."