Manmohan Singh to go to Japan, Thailand May-end

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh goes to Japan May 27-29 for the annual bilateral summit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during which nuclear energy cooperation will be high on the agenda. He will then go to Thailand at the invitation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Manmohan Singh had to postpone his November trip for the annual bilateral summit due to political conditions in Japan where elections were announced.

During his earlier stint as prime minister, Abe had held the bilateral summit with Manmohan Singh in 2006 and 2007, said an official here Tuesday.

Following the meltdown in the Fukushima nuclear reactor after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the issue of safety of nuclear energy has gained prominence in Japan. Safety issues may dog civil nuclear cooperation talks between India and Japan.

Both countries are to take forward their economic cooperation. Between 2000 to 2012, Japanese FDI into India totalled $12.86 billion.

Japan's development assistance also forms a major part of bilateral ties. During the visit of External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid to Tokyo last month, Japan unveiled a $2.32 billion in aid for infrastructure building in India.

National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon is to accompany the prime minister.