Civic groups and atomic bomb survivors on Saturday criticized the Japanese government for agreeing with India to work toward sealing a civil nuclear cooperation pact, fearing the move might lead India to divert the technology to weapons production.
Some 150 civic group members and others gathered in front of the prime minister's office in Tokyo, holding banners such as "We cannot create peace with nuclear" and protesting, "We oppose the Japan-India nuclear deal."
A deal, which involves the export of Japanese nuclear power plant technology, is controversial because India, a nuclear-weapon nation that conducted its first nuclear test in 1974, has not joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The NPT only recognizes Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States as nuclear powers.