Japan and Mexico have made it halfway through what for Japan remains an unexplored tunnel and are beginning to see a glimmer of light.
But both remain unsure how much brighter that flicker will grow.
Under an agreement reached between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Vicente Fox in Tokyo in early June, Japan and Mexico inaugurated a joint study group in September to explore ways to strengthen bilateral economic ties, including the possibility of concluding a free-trade agreement.