TOKYO —

Japan has decided not to oppose a move that will enable the United States to transfer nuclear technology to India, which has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, under their bilateral civilian nuclear cooperation pact, government sources said Monday. The position, expected to be expressed at a meeting later this month of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, will likely generate heat especially from atomic bomb survivors in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as it appears to contradict Japan’s long-standing nonproliferation policy. ‘‘Japan will not stand in the way of revising the guidelines at the upcoming NSG extraordinary plenary meeting (in Vienna),’’ a government source said.

Japan, being the only nation to have suffered atomic attacks, by the United States in 1945 in World War II, had until now taken a cautious stance on embracing a revision to the NSG guidelines that ban extending cooperation to a state such as India that has not signed the NPT. Such a revision to the NSG guidelines is necessary for the U.S.-India agreement to take effect and enable transfers of nuclear power technology and fuel from the United States to India. Japan’s decision not to oppose the revision has been made because the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Aug. 1 adopted a safeguard agreement for India and also because Tokyo views nuclear power generation as an effective method of curbing global warming, the source said. Some pundits say Japan has made the decision in the hope of strengthening relations with India and the new position would help the Japanese nuclear power industry extend into the potentially lucrative Indian market. Critics said that Japan’s agreement to the waiver could weaken its position in negotiations to press North Korea to halt its nuclear development programs. Atomic bomb survivors and antinuclear activists voiced strong criticism of Japan’s accommodative stance. ‘‘It’s a pity that (Japan) is just following what the United States says when, as the only atomic bombed country, it must stand at the forefront of nuclear disarmament,’’ said Kazushi Kaneko, the 82-year-old director general of the Hiroshima Council of A-Bomb Sufferers Organizations. Koichi Kawano, the 68-year-old vice chair of the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bomb (Gensuikin), said, ‘‘It’s a result of prioritizing money-making by the nuclear industry rather than nuclear disarmament.’’

Kyodo

7 Comments

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  some14some at 07:47 AM JST - 19th August

  Politically wise decision by Fukuda admn.

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  LIBERTAS at 10:55 AM JST - 19th August

  Spineless wonders that they are. "Japan will not stand in the way of revising the guidelines at the upcoming NSG extraordinary plenary meeting (in Vienna)." India already has a nuclear weapon and is in a heightend state of tension with Pakistan.

  Would Japan ALSO do this for Iran, under threat of nuclear extinction from israel & the USA? "Japan will not stand in the way of revising the guidelines at the upcoming NSG extraordinary plenary meeting (in Vienna),"

  No, of course not. "'Cos Condo told Komura not to!"

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  noborito at 11:46 AM JST - 19th August

  "Japan has decided not to oppose" hahahaha. Like either India or the USA care what Japan thinks anyway.

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  OssanULTRA at 12:07 PM JST - 19th August

  Obviously they do or this article wouldn't exist.

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  Papawhale at 08:37 PM JST - 19th August

  This is just more rubber stamping of Bush's insane policies by a compliant Japanese Admin. Nuclear proliferation--one would think that Japan, at least, would keep some sanity about themselves, but apparently not.

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  OssanULTRA at 09:15 PM JST - 19th August

  This deal is about Nuclear Power generation, not Nuclear Weapons. India already has Nuclewar Weapons.

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  LIBERTAS at 06:51 AM JST - 20th August

  "This deal is about Nuclear Power generation, not Nuclear Weapons. India already has Nuclewar Weapons." Exactly! Iran does not WANT nuclear weapons, just nuclear power, to which it has every legal right! Thank you for drawing that distinction!

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