Japan and China on Aug. 20 will begin two days of fisheries talks in Beijing in a bid to conclude a provisional agreement, Foreign Ministry officials said Aug. 18.
The two countries currently seek to reach an agreement by early September, when Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto visits China.
Japan and China made progress in talks earlier this month but differences remain in the scope of jointly controlled sea boundaries that will be established in the provisional agreement. The sides have decided to seek further negotiations over the boundaries.
The two nations have already agreed to shelve the issue of imposing a 200-nautical mile economic zone in disputed areas.
The countries decided to delay discussing the establishment of an economic zone because the issue relates to the ownership of a group of the Senkaku Islands, which are known as the Daioyu Islands in China.