Japan and India agreed Saturday to advance talks on a civilian nuclear co-operation pact, despite the devastating nuclear incident in Japan earlier this year. The bilateral negotiations with India towards concluding the accord on the transfer of nuclear energy technology have been stalled since the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
The plant suffered meltdowns at three reactors and has been leaking radioactive material into the environment since it was hit by a magnitude-9 earthquake and resulting tsunami on March 11. Tens of thousands of residents have been forced to leave the area. The agreement suggested Japan intended to resume accelerating its international nuclear power business despite the crisis. Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told a joint news conference with his Indian counterpart SM Krishna that he wanted to include a clause in the proposed accord to say co-operation would be suspended if India conducted nuclear testing, the Kyodo news agency reported.
"We hope for understanding on Japan's efforts toward nuclear disarmament as the only country to have suffered atomic bombing," Gemba said. The two also agreed to enhance co-operation in the production of rare earth elements, which are needed for electronics and hybrid vehicles. In October 2010, then-premier Naoto Kan and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reached an agreement on the joint development of rare earth deposits in the South Asian country.
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