Nuke - defence on Singh-Hayatoma agenda

Agenda matters includes terrorism measures, a free trade agreement ,climate issues,nuke co-operation and defence are expected to figure predominantly during the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Yukio Hatoyama, who will be here on his first official visit from December 27. Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama who arrives in the country on Sunday for his first official visit.The new Japanese Prime Minister, who took over in mid-September, will reach Mumbai where he will pay tribute to the victims of 26/11 terror attacks and sign a condolence book in Trident hotel.He will also interact with top Indian business leaders, including Ratan Tata, before heading to New Delhi on Monday where he will hold delegation level talks with Singh. "The two Prime Ministers will discuss ways to expand, enhance and strengthen the India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership. They will also discuss regional and global issues," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Vishnu Prakash said.Singh will also host a private dinner on Monday for the 62-year-old Japanese leader who is accompanied by his wife Miyuki Hatoyama and senior ministers of his government. The two leaders will sit down for delegation-level talks on Tuesday followed by a brief joint press interaction, he said.This will be the 4th Annual Summit between the Prime Ministers of India and Japan since 2006.Asked if the two leaders will talk about cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy, Prakash said the "entire gamut" is going to be discussed. On any agreements to be signed during the visit, the Foreign Office spokesman said it was not possible to prejudge anything.The visit will focus on giving a political push to free trade area negotiations and expanding the ambit of security cooperation between the two countries. Japan is the sixth largest investor in India with USD three billion in investments and plays a crucial role in some of the key infrastructure projects such as dedicated freight corridors in the country.The two countries signed a security cooperation agreement during Manmohan Singh's visit last year, the second country after the US with which Japan has inked such a pact providing for training and capacity building.The two countries are close to firming up an action plan to add more content to this agreement, which will also include joint army exercises. Hatoyama's maiden trip to India comes against the backdrop of Tokyo's bid to recast its relations in Asia and a desire to forge a stronger security and economic partnership with India, widely seen as an emerging Asian power along with China. Posted by Nksagar at 9:10 AM 0 comments