When Finance Minister Taro Aso meets with his Chinese counterpart, Lou Jiwei, in Beijing on Saturday, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will loom large in the talks.
While 56 nations have so far signed up to the new $100-billion lender being established by China, Japan has not.
In a recommendation compiled for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday, lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party urged caution on joining. Aso has repeatedly raised concerns about what the AIIB's governance will look like.