Japan calls for stronger regional economic cooperation+

MANADO, Indonesia, Aug. 13 Kyodo -
Japanese economy minister Banri Kaieda appealed at a meeting of 16 East Asia Summit countries on Saturday for strengthening regional economic cooperation as Japan works on rebuilding from the March earthquake and tsunami and on economic recovery.
Speaking at an informal meeting of economic ministers from Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Kaieda proposed establishing a working group jointly with China toward building a free-trade zone within the region.
Consultation had been held over the proposal at a related meeting the previous day, but the Japanese minister, who arrived in the Indonesian provincial capital of Manado on Saturday, mentioned it anew.
The proposal was included in a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the informal meeting. The 16 countries will discuss the proposal further, and possibly come to agreement, at a high-level meeting in November.
Kaieda, who serves as minister of economy, trade and industry, also called for participating countries to eschew steps that might fuel concerns about Japanese products in light of the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, including import restrictions on Japanese foods and products.
Japan and ASEAN members are expected to agree at a ministerial meeting on Saturday evening on formulating an economic cooperation plan over the next decade, the officials said.
Japan aims to give fresh momentum to its drive for infrastructure exports, which have flagged since the natural disasters struck Japan in March and left the country with its worst nuclear crisis, they said.
Japan and the 10 ASEAN countries are also expected to agree to strengthen support for urban development that takes disaster prevention and the environment into account.