Thaindian News

New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) India and Japan will hold their fifth strategic dialogue later this week to explore ways to deepen their cooperation across a range of issues ranging from jointly combating piracy and terrorism to climate change and the evolving East Asia architecture.

India is expected to discuss the prospects of civil nuclear cooperation that took a hit after the Fukushima disaster earlier this year.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba in Tokyo Oct 28-29.

“They will review all aspects of the bilateral strategic and global partnership and discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the external affairs ministry said here.

Krishna will also call on Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

The talks are expected to set the stage for Noda’s visit to New Delhi in December for annual summit with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

A cluster of bilateral and global issues will be on the table when Krishna meets his Japanese counterpart in Tokyo. Maritime security will be top of the agenda.

The two countries will look for different ways to deepen their cooperation in combating piracy that has the potential to adversely affect their maritime trade and security.

They are also expected to discuss increased Japanese assertiveness in South China Sea, over which Beijing claims full sovereignty, and its repercussions on regional security. They are also likely to discuss dates for the US-Japan-India trilateral, an initiative that is causing jitters in Beijing.

Significantly, the India-Japan strategic dialogue takes place barely weeks before the the East Asia Summit Nov 17-18 that will focus on evolving an inclusive regional architecture in which both countries have high stakes.

The prospects for civil nuclear cooperation will also be discussed.

Following three rounds of negotiations, the prospects of a bilateral civil nuclear deal hit a major roadblock after the Fukushima radiation disaster early this year that revived anxieties in Tokyo about the viability of nuclear power itself. However, such a deal is crucial for New Delhi as many US and French companies wishing to partner India in nuclear sector use critical components made by Japanese companies.

New Delhi is also expected to make a renewed pitch for seeking Tokyo’s support for its membership of top multilateral nuclear regimes like the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Australia Group, the Wassenaar Arrangement.

Tokyo is likely to reiterate its commitment to the multibillion dollar Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and may announce that its official development assistance to New Delhi will remain on course despite the devastating tsunami that hit Japan earlier this year.