"We have reminded India time and again that it has to join the NPT. This message has been repeatedly conveyed to India. But it is not a condition, but a strong aspiration (of Japan)," Masaru Sato, Assistant Press Secretary of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, told reporters here tonight.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba have directed the negotiating teams of their respective countries to make progress in the discussions on the civil nuclear deal.
"We actually got instructions to make progress. India is a big partner...There is no doubt at all. Some issues need to be addressed. We are the only country which has been a victim of the nuclear bomb," said Sato
