Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto sent a congratulatory message Wednesday to Russian President Boris Yeltsin on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum's decision to allow Russia to join the organization.
"Now Russia is expected to play a part in the cooperative organization on politics and economics of the Asia-Pacific region," the message said. "We are very pleased that Russia will join the body, in which your country will play a part not only for your country but also for the whole of the world."
Hashimoto sent the message from Vancouver, British Columbia, where he was attending the annual APEC summit. He added that he was satisfied with the decision because it came less than a month after he promised Yeltsin during a summit in Siberia that Japan would support Russia's APEC entry.