With India and the US finalising the civil nuclear deal, Japan has said the “picture” is becoming “clear” to it but it preferred a wait-and-watch approach till New Delhi negotiates safeguards agreement with IAEA.

Lauding India’s track record on non-proliferation, Japan said it has been a “good boy” despite remaining outside NPT regime but New Delhi should shoulder the responsibility to strengthen the NPT regime.

“Basically, this matter is still under careful scrutiny and we are being briefed by the US and India to tell us precisely what happened,” Japanese Ambassador Yasukuni Enoki said.

“Japan has got good clarification from the Indian side and also we are approaching the US. So, I think the picture is becoming clear”, he said ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe here.

National Security Adviser M K Narayanan was in Tokyo over a week ago during which he apprised Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso about the nuclear deal.

Close watch
Enoki said the attention is shifting to India-IAEA safeguards negotiations and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
“We are watching the negotiations between India and the IAEA about the safeguards agreement,” he said.
On the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Enoki said the meeting of the 45-nation grouping is expected to be convened in the autumn and "then we will express our position.”