A civilian nuclear cooperation pact between Japan and India cleared the Lower House on Tuesday, paving the way for Tokyo to export nuclear power equipment and technology to the fast-growing economy not part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
As the Lower House takes precedence in approving treaties, the bill is set to gain Diet approval despite fears expressed by the opposition bloc that the South Asian nation could make military use of the technology.
The pact, signed in November when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tokyo, prohibits New Delhi from using nuclear materials and technologies for developing atomic bombs and requires the country to accept inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.