Japan to host 2010 APEC leaders meeting in Yokohama+

TOKYO, March 25 Kyodo - Japan will host next year's summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Yokohama, Prime Minister Taro Aso told reporters Wednesday.

''The Asia-Pacific and Japan have worked inextricably for economic
development'' over the past 15 years since Japan first hosted the forum in
Osaka, Aso said. ''It will be an opportunity to show new visions such as the
economic integration of APEC in the future,'' he said.
Four other Japanese cities -- Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nara and Sapporo -- had been
bidding to host the annual leaders meeting of the 21 Pacific Rim economies in
2010, which is the target year for the developed members of the region to
achieve the so-called Bogor Goals to free trade and investment.
The Bogor Goals adopted in 1994 call on APEC's developing economies to try to
realize free and open trade and investment by 2020.
The government has picked Yokohama as the venue because the port city, located
near Tokyo and Haneda airport, can accommodate the large number of attendees
and it would be easy to provide security for Asia-Pacific leaders, according to
government officials.
''We have decided to hold it in Yokohama after judging various things
comprehensively'' such as accommodation and the city's proximity to a port and
an airport, Aso said.
It will be the second time that Japan hosts the APEC summit. It first did so in
Osaka in 1995.
APEC, a nonbinding consultative grouping for economic cooperation launched in
1989, comprises Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia,
Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the
Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and
Vietnam.
Every year, one of the 21 economies serves as APEC chair and hosts leaders and
ministerial meetings. Its annual summit is normally held in the autumn.
This year's APEC leaders meeting will be held in November in Singapore.
==Kyodo