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Further Japanese sanctions greet second round of N-tests

Japanese officials are busy finalising fresh sanctions against India, in the wake of the second round of nuclear tests carried out at Pokhran, in Rajasthan, on Wednesday.

Simultaneously, a foreign ministry official said Japan will urge other leaders at the upcoming G-8 summit in Birmingham, England, to join in a coordinated effort to punish India. The punishment should be stringent enough to discourage other countries from developing and testing weapons, the official said.

"India's second round of tests have forced us to take further measures," Prime Minister Ryotaro Hashimoto told Parliament on Thursday.

His comments, later elaborated on in a personal appearance on Japan's state-run NHK Television, came against the backdrop of a public outcry in Japan against the tests, with hundreds of atomic bomb survivors and peace activists holding vigil in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The first round of tests, on Monday, had been greeted by Japanese sanctions to the tune of $ 30 million. "Additional sanctions will have to take into consideration that India's new round of tests came right after our previous protests," Hashimoto said on television.

Additional measures -- which will be placed for approval by Hashimoto before he leaves for the G-8 summit -- could include further freezing of economic aid, as also suspension of personnel exchanges between the two governments, it is learnt.

Hashimoto is expected to meet with US President Bill Clinton before the G-8 summit, to discuss the nuclear tests, and to agree on joint measures against India.

Meanwhile in Tokyo, protesters gathered outside the Indian embassy for the third straight day, chanting anti-nuclear slogans and condemning India. Nuclear weapons have always been an emotive issue in a country that has the dubious distinction of being the only victim of nuclear attack. In 1945, US atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and killed 250,000 people.

Japan has been India's largest aid donor, disbursing approximately $1 billion in annual loans since 1992.

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