Proposed Indo-Japanese deal during Abe's visit has "dangerous implications" for global nuclear disarmament

By A Representative
The Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), India’s national network of over 200 grassroots groups, mass movements and advocacy organisations, has said that India has become “a playground for multinational vendors like Areva, GE, Westinghouse, Atomsroyexport, Hitachi, Toshiba and Mitsubishi.”
An online protest petition floated by CNDP, says, “Despite the non-violent and long-standing protests launched by communities near proposed nuclear reactors as a result of the serious threats to their lives and livelihoods”, there is every likelihood that the Government of India will go ahead with its nuclear “deal” during the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to New Delhi on December 11-13.
The petition will be sent as a letter to Abe after it gets required number of signatories (1,000). Interestingly, the CNDP does not propose make a similar plea to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The petition alleges, “This nuclear agreement does not only represent an unacceptable zeal to promote nuclear lobbies on the part of Abe, despite the deepening crisis in Fukushima, but also gives a new lease of life to the nuclear industry facing a terminal crisis in the post-Fukushima world.”
The petition comes close on the heels of the message by Katsutaka Idogawa, former Mayor of Fukushima when the nuclear accident happened, accusing Abe of “hiding” facts related with “Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster”, calling it the “biggest accident in the world.”

  

“Prime Minister Abe has tried to hide it while the worst is happening and still Japan is trying to sell nuclear power plants to India and other countries. This is not acceptable. I am totally against the India-Japan nuclear power deal. I hope Indian people must understand that Fukuichi disaster is the biggest accident and must not accept this nuclear deal", the ex-mayor has said.
The petition says, “Even as renewable and sustainable energy sources are becoming more efficient and cheaper year after year, the global nuclear industry is using countries like India to compensate for their losses. By attempting to sell nuclear reactors to India, Japan will be undermining the democratic right of people to shape their immediate environment and a future for themselves and their descendants.”
It adds, “The deal also has dangerous implications for global nuclear disarmament. It effectively legitimises India's nuclear weapons and shreds the international norms disallowing nuclear commerce to countries that do not follow global non-proliferation expectations. This is particularly egregious in the 70th anniversary of the wholesale destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
The petition further says, “Rather that pursuing such measures, nuclear weapons states must proceed with unilateral and multilateral disarmament measures urgently, rather expanding the nuclear weapons club in exchange for India's geopolitical alignments and its expanding nuclear market.”
“The Hibakushas of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have opposed this further weakening of an already weak NPT regime. It is disappointing to see that Japan is diluting its long-standing commitment to nuclear disarmament”, the petition says.
“We strongly demand that Japan must not proceed with negotiations for sales of nuclear technology to India and also must refrain from nuclear export to other countries. The India-Japan nuclear agreement must be terminated for their dangerous international implications and for unleashing an anti-people and eco-destructive nuclear expansion in India”, it points out.