Japan has found an unlikely ally in its intensifying campaign to secure a judge's seat at the International Court of Justice.
According to Japanese government sources, China and Japan have agreed to vote for each other's candidate in the autumn 2002 election for the 15-judge United Nations court, which is based in The Hague.
Tokyo has nominated Hisashi Owada, a former top career diplomat and father of the Crown Princess. If no other Asian country fields a candidate, Japan and China will almost certainly win the two seats allotted to the region.