Japan's foreign minister warned India Friday that a planned bilateral pact on civilian nuclear co-operation could be suspended if New Delhi conducts a nuclear test. In June, the two countries launched talks on signing the agreement which will allow Tokyo to export nuclear power generation technology and related equipment to India.
But survivors of the World War II US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki opposed the move, as India has developed nuclear arms without signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Before leaving for a five-day tour of India and Thailand, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said that the pact needs a clause to define how Tokyo would respond to any nuclear test by New Delhi.
"If a nuclear test is conducted, Japan for its part can hardly accept it," Okada told a news conference, adding that how the clause is incorporated in the pact will "depend on upcoming negotiations". In a separate interview with the public broadcaster NHK, Okada said: "If India conducts a nuclear test after concluding the pact, Japan will not be able to cooperate." Okada is scheduled to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on Saturday, and with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on Monday.