Japan and China failed Wednesday to resolve their dispute over gas fields in the East China Sea at senior working-level talks in Tokyo.

The two countries have agreed to conduct joint exploitation but still remain apart on the details, including which areas to develop, and have been trying to strike a compromise.

Last April, when then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, they agreed to map out a detailed plan for joint development by this fall, but Foreign Ministry officials said the prospects are dim.