The Japanese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the country is all set to begin talks with India for sealing a civil nuclear cooperation pact. The first round of talks will be held on June 28-29 in Tokyo, the Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.The signing of a nuclear treaty between the two countries is likely to pave the way for companies such as Toshiba Corp, Hitachi Ltd and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to sell reactors in India.Japanese firms are already in partnership with companies from the US and France and are engaged in joint development of nuclear reactors.
Hitachi Ltd works in cooperation with General Electric (GE), while Mitsubishi Heavy Industries works with France's Areva. Toshiba-Westinghouse is also scouting for projects in India.Areva and GE have already won orders for two reactors in India. But the two companies depend on Japan's nuclear reactor technologies.Both Areva and GE use reactor vessels made by Japan Steel Works Ltd, GE in particular relies on Hitachi Ltd for nuclear reactor projects.If Japan's deal with India does go through, it will be the first agreement between Japan and a country that isn't a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The 46-member Nuclear Suppliers Group lifted a three-decade ban on providing atomic technology and fuel to India in 2008 after India had agreed to a moratorium on testing atomic bombs.The governments of the US, Russia and France have since signed nuclear agreements with India.
Earlier in the year, GE-Hitachi had already announced plans to source special steels and forgings from domestic player Larsen & Toubro's (L&T) new integrated forging facility coming up in Hazira.
The US and France had also urged Japan to sign a nuclear deal with India, which would clear the way for GE and Areva to use Japanese suppliers for nuclear projects in India.
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