NEW DELHI (TIP): India completed the process of its civil nuclear agreements, as the landmark India- Japan civil nuclear agreement entered into force on Thursday, July 20.

Foreign secretary S Jaishankar and Japanese ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu exchanged diplomatic notes, marking operationalisation of the pact, the external affairs ministry said.

The civil nuclear cooperation agreement was signed last November during Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s visit to Tokyo after over six years of negotiations.

The entry into force comes a few months before Shinzo Abe’s scheduled visit to India in September this year.

Prime Minister Modi and Abe had a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg on July 8, where they reviewed the state of bilateral relations. Abe is expected to formally begin the ground breaking for the high speed train project to run from Ahmedabad to Mumbai.

“This agreement is a reflection of the strategic partnership between India and Japan and will pave the way for enhanced cooperation in energy security and clean energy.”

“The landmark agreement seeks to promote full cooperation between the two countries in the development and uses of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes on a stable, reliable and predictable basis,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay told reporters.

The deal allows Japan to export nuclear technology to India, making it the first non-NPT signatory to have such a deal with Tokyo.

Source: TOI