The groundwork for the bilateral agreements signed in Tokyo and Kobe was set during Abe’s visit to India in December last year [Xinhua]
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on a ride aboard the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to the port city of Kobe.
The ride, which comes on Modi’s second day of an official visit to Japan, is to introduce the Indian prime minister to the advanced technology of the bullet train which will be used on the 500-kilometer stretch of the Mumbai to Ahmedabad railway line.
With speeds reaching 320 kms, the Shinkasen bullet train is expected to greatly enhance rail transportation in India. However, it will not go into production before 2018 and be available starting 2023.
Abe and Modi also visited the Kawasaki plant where the train is being manufactured.
He Tweeted about his itinerary on Saturday:
My visit to Kawasaki Heavy Industries Plant gave me a firsthand view of aspects relating to high speed rail, which we are bringing to India. pic.twitter.com/4N8H1PeIKK
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 12, 2016
The train ride comes a day after the two leaders presided over a number of bilateral agreements, most important of which is the deal to export nuclear power technology to India.
“The Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy marks a historic step in our engagement to build a clean energy partnership,” Modi said.
Japan will now supply nuclear reactors, fuel and technology to India.
The civilian nuclear energy agreement had been delayed for six years as a number of foreign powers took issue with the fact that India – a nuclear power – had not yet signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Japan apparently received assurances from India that it would no longer conduct nuclear tests; the last nuclear test was in 1998 and since then Delhi issued a moratarium on nuclear tests.
The NPT is an international binding agreement designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons-related technology.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies