TOKYO, March 23 (UPI) -- Japan's government is concerned that the India-U.S. nuclear agreement signed earlier this month could undercut global nuclear nonproliferation policies.
Kyodo news agency reported March 22 that Foreign Minister Taro Aso told a parliamentary committee that he was "'most concerned about it (the Non-Proliferation Treaty) losing substance" because the United States had signed the NPT, but India had not.
Aso told parliamentarians that following discussions in Australia on March 18 with the U.S. Secretary of State, "'I told U.S. Secretary of State (Condoleezza) Rice during our talks that Japan, even if asked by the United States to support it, cannot easily oblige, as this would definitely be called a double standard."
The NPT prohibits nations with nuclear weapons from transferring nuclear weapons or nuclear technology to any state that has is not a NPT signatory.
Aso made his observations during a session of the House of Councilors' Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense in response to questions by opposition Democratic Party of Japan legislator Kazuya Shinba.
