PM Modi Headed To Japan In November

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Japan on November 11-12 during which he will have an audience with the Emperor of Japan and hold the annual summit meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe that could see a civil nuclear cooperation pact being inked.

Announcing the visit, External Affairs Ministry said the meeting will be an occasion for the two leaders to have "in- depth exchanges on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest to further deepen the broad-based and action- oriented partnership between India and Japan." Apart from the thrust on enhancing cooperation in civil nuclear sector, the two sides will also explore ways to boost ties in trade, including in high technology area, security and infrastructure.

During their last summit in December, the two sides had reached a basic agreement on the pact and decided that the two sides will continue to discuss the international civil nuclear cooperation framework with respect to India.

According to officials, all efforts were being made to stitch a pact during Modi's visit that would pave the way for Japan to export nuclear power plant technology to the fast- growing Asian economy. If done, it would be Japan's first civil nuclear cooperation pact with a country that has not joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Japan, the only country to have suffered nuclear bombings, has been seeking assurance from India that it will not be used for military purposes or nuclear tests.

On security and defence front, Japan is likely to emphasise on the need to strengthen bilateral coordination in maritime security as China continues to elevate its activities in the East and South China seas and the Indian Ocean. The two countries already have a maritime trilateral with the US.

During PM Modi's visit in August-September 2014 to Japan, the first bilateral visit outside India's immediate neighbourhood that Modi undertook, the relationship was upgraded to a "Special Strategic and Global Partnership" and the two had outlined a Vision of Working Together for Peace and Prosperity in the Indo-Pacific Region and the World, the ministry said.