It reflects the attempt by those in nuclear energy to resurrect the industry as an atomic empire.

NPR: Russia Plans Nuclear Power Expansion

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, this kind of cozy relationship between industry and a government watchdog was partly responsible for the disaster at Fukushima.

FORBES: The Biggest Threat to Nuclear Power: 'Pencil Engineering'

It was announced a day after the second anniversary of the Fukushima earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis that crippled the country's atomic power industry and exposed its lack of domestic energy sources.

CNN: Japan warms to 'fire ice' potential

Hitherto NSG rules barred nuclear commerce with any country that had not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or had not put all its nuclear industry under safeguards operated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear guardian.

ECONOMIST: Mourning an exemption that may defeat the rules