India should address disarmament issue: Japan

Expecting India to play a major global role once Nuclear Suppliers Group approves the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, Japan on Tuesday said New Delhi will have to address disarmament and non-proliferation issue to demonstrate "authenticity" of its peace diplomacy.

Describing the disarmament and non-proliferation issue as "extremely difficult" task for India along with resolution of Kashmir issue and its relations with Pakistan, Tokyo said New Delhi will have to address these for its "peace development diplomacy."

Japanese Ambassador to India Yasukuni Enoki said he expected that India would advance its "active diplomacy vis-a-vis two difficult issues, namely the Kashmir problem and its relations with Pakistan as well as nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation."

In an address at FICCI in Delhi, he said addressing the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation issues "may be the touchstone to prove the authencity of the Indian Peace Development Diplomacy with highly esteemed ideals."

Taking an overview of developments that took place during his four-year tenure in Delhi ending next month, the envoy said "though both issues are extremely difficult to resolve, India cannot go without addressing them if India tries to undertake the initiative for peace development diplomacy."

In this regard, he stressed the importance of a "leadership country" demonstrating model cases to others.

He, however, expects New Delhi to be a major player in concerted action towards nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament once the Indo-US deal is approved by the NSG, paving the way for widening of cooperation in the field between India and Japan.