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DATE=8/23/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=INDIA/JAPAN (LONG)
NUMBER=2-265785
BYLINE=ANJANA PASRICHA
DATELINE=NEW DELHI
CONTENT=
INTRO:  Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has 
concluded discussions with top Indian leaders. He is 
in India on a three-day visit focusing on improving 
bilateral and economic ties between the two countries. 
Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, this is the 
first visit to India by a Japanese leader in a decade.
Text:  At the end of his meetings with Indian leaders, 
Prime Minister Mori said Wednesday, India and Japan 
have become global partners. Indian Prime Minister 
Atal Behari Vajpayee says the new partnership between 
the two countries will work for peace and development.
India and Japan have decided to hold a security 
dialogue that will include issues such as nuclear 
disarmament and defense cooperation. It will the
first of its kind between Tokyo and New Delhi.
In his talks with Indian leaders, Mr. Mori has urged 
New Delhi to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty on 
nuclear weapons. India's Foreign Minister Jaswant
Singh says New Delhi is sensitive to Tokyo's concern, 
and has assured the Japanese Prime Minister that India 
is making efforts to join the test ban treaty.
            /// INSERT SINGH ACTUALITY ///
      We will not stand in the way of the entry into 
      force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and 
      also we are engaged in the process of 
      building a political consensus within the 
      political community and the country in this 
      regard.
            /// END SINGH ACTUALITY ///
Mr. Mori's visit is expected to give a substantial 
boost to bilateral ties that soured after Tokyo became 
one of the most strident critics of New Delhi's 
nuclear tests two years ago. Mr. Mori has said he 
wants to make "India-Japan relations much better than 
they are now." Officials say the two countries are 
determined to move the relationship forward despite
the wide differences they continue to have on the 
nuclear issue.
A key focus of the Japanese leader's visit is on 
improving economic ties with India. Mr. Mori is 
accompanied by a large business delegation. During a
visit to Bangalore - the hub of India's information 
technology industries, Mr. Mori said high technology 
will be an important area of cooperation between the 
two countries. An economic mission from Japan will 
visit India in October.
            /// REST OPT ///
The defense cooperation between the two countries will 
focus on anti-piracy patrols by the navies of the two 
countries in the Indian Ocean. Pirates have been 
targeting oil tankers using sea lanes in the region.
Mr. Mori is on a four-nation South Asian tour that has 
already taken him to Bangladesh and Pakistan. He 
visits Nepal on Friday. (signed)
NEB/AP/FC
23-Aug-2000 12:09 PM EDT (23-Aug-2000 1609 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.