India has completed civil nuclear agreements with more than 10 countries so far, including the United States, Russia and Australia. But, the agreement with Japan has most significance.

At a bilateral summit in New Delhi, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a memorandum of agreement on civil nuclear cooperation.

Importance of India-Japan civil nuclear deal:

• Japan has been a victim of a nuclear attack. It would be Japan’s first signing of a civil nuclear cooperation pact with a country that has not joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). 
• Japan’s support to the deal is an indication of the importance it accords to relations with India. A Japan-India nuclear agreement is an essential accomplishment to ensure the steady growth of India’s economy and, by extension, that of the entire region. 
• The civil nuclear agreement with Japan is especially important for the message of trust it would convey to Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) members. Japan’s support at the NSG has been particularly marked. 
• U.S. and French companies are eager to launch nuclear power projects in India, but they cannot proceed without large amounts of components from Japan, many of which claim 80 percent of the global market. And, Japan cannot supply those components without a full-fledged nuclear agreement resolving the aforementioned issues. For this reason as well, a Japan-India nuclear deal is crucial. 
• Japanese nuclear energy technology and safety parameters are widely considered to be cutting-edge, and many critical parts needed for Indian reactors are made by Japanese manufacturers. 
• From an economic stand, an agreement on the transfer of civil nuclear technology between Japan and India is vital to India’s continued economic growth. Given the current state of technology, nuclear power is the only realistic means of ensuring a steady supply of energy to meet the nation’s growing demand for power without producing large-scale carbon emissions.