Japan and Turkey have struck a deal on a bilateral nuclear cooperation pact, laying the groundwork for companies of Asia's second-biggest economy to export atomic technology to the fast-growing country, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

The two countries will finalize the wording of the civilian nuclear power pact in the months ahead, the ministry said.

However, negotiations between Tokyo and Ankara on the construction of the latter's second nuclear complex have been dormant since the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant started, triggered by the powerful earthquake and tsunami last March.

Some Japanese companies are still interested in building a nuclear power plant in the Sinop region on the Black Sea coast, despite the nuclear disaster.

A ministry official said it is hard to say at this moment when the accord with Turkey on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy will take effect. Turkey currently operates no nuclear plants.

If the pact goes into effect, it will lay the legal foundations for Japanese companies to supply nuclear equipment and technology to Turkey.

Turkey is planning to build nuclear plants in three locations by 2023.