The Japanese government will promote cooperation to revitalize the trans-Siberia Railway as part of Tokyo's efforts to encourage economic reform in Russia, Japanese officials told their Russian counterparts Tuesday at a meeting to discuss work on the railway.Japan will promote such measures as feasibility studies on modernizing the railway and exchanges of experts, according to Foreign Ministry officials who briefed reporters. The government will also help promote dialogue between Russian experts and Japan's private sector, they said. The Russian side welcomed Japan's cooperation, they said.The discussion was held to implement an agreement reached by Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and President Boris Yeltsin at an informal summit last November to promote economic cooperation.
