In an order to step up cooperation in the energy sector, Japan becomes the latest country to offer cooperation with India on nuclear energy. In a key development on Friday, both sides decided to work towards a civil-nuclear treaty with the establishment of a Joint Working Group (JWG) on civil-nuclear cooperation.

The two sides inked a joint statement on energy which was signed by Montek Singh Ahluwali, deputy chairman of planning commission and Japaenese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Masayuki Naoshima in New Delhi.

According to the joint statement, “The two ministries decided to establish a Nuclear Energy Working Group under the energy dialogue to exchange views and information on their respective nuclear energy policies from the energy, economic and industrial perspectives.”

The representatives of key Japanese companies - Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Hitachi were present during the fourth ministerial-level meeting of the energy dialogue between India and Japan. The Japanese government is under pressure from these companies to have nuclear energy cooperation with India. Nuclear power accounts for approximately one-third of the Japan’s total electric power output. It has fifty-five reactors operating around the country with a total output of 49,467 megawatts (MW) by 2008, says Japan nuclear programme website.

The forward movement on the nuclear energy is based on the joint statement signed by Manmohan Singh and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama last year in New Delhi. India which is one of the largest energy consumers of the world is interested to cooperate with Japan on clean energy. In the meeting, Tokyo and New Delhi also welcomed progress made in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, coal and electricity, and power generation. “The two sides also decided to continue discussions on possible cooperation in the area of cooking coal washing,” the joint statement further said.

“The two ministries decided to collaborate closely in the negotiations under the under the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change,” the statement said. Ahluwalia and Naoshima agreed to continue its fifth dialogue on energy next year in Japan. The first Indo-Japan energy dialogue was initiated in 2006.