Japan and Iran will agree this autumn to open negotiations on concluding an investment protection pact to encourage private-sector Japanese investment in the Persian Gulf nation, government sources said Wednesday.

The agreement will be made at a meeting in Tokyo between Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori as part of measures to boost bilateral relations, the sources said.

Khatami is expected to make his first official visit to Japan in early November, although the exact date has not yet been set.