A group of Japanese nuclear energy firms yesterday said it would oppose civilian nuclear trade with India unless New Delhi takes steps toward eliminating its nuclear arsenal, the Press Trust of India reported (see GSN, Oct. 23).
Japan rejected a nuclear cooperation agreement with India last month.
"Japan is the only country which suffered due to two atom bombs in the history of mankind and Japanese people are very sensitive," Takuya Hattori, head of the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, said yesterday.
"If Japan goes for civil nuclear cooperation with India, it amounts to following [a] double standard."
"We cannot then talk about North Korea and Iran at the international platform if we have civil nuclear cooperation with India now when your country has nuclear bombs," Hattori said, adding that New Delhi should pursue nuclear disarmament and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (see GSN, Nov. 20).
India has already declared a moratorium on nuclear weapons testing and adopted a nuclear no-first-use policy, but leaders have resisted further limits on the nation's nuclear weapons, according to PTI (Press Trust of India, Nov. 25).