In a rather belated move, Japan is set to formally join a key post-Cold War international treaty calling for the liberalization of trade and investment in energy in Russia and the other former Soviet republics.
The government will submit the Energy Charter Treaty to the Diet for ratification during the parliament's 150-day ordinary session that convenes in late January, government sources said Thursday.
If the treaty is ratified during the session, Japan will be able to become a formal treaty member by the end of next year, the sources said.