Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will start negotiations next year to bolster economic ties, with discussions expected to include the creation of a regional free trade area, according to an internal document.

A copy of the report, compiled by the Japan-ASEAN Closer Economic Partnership Experts Group, was obtained by Kyodo News on Saturday. It says the envisaged partnership would cover not only trade and investment but information technology, the environment and energy.

It would also enhance mutual cooperation in such fields as competition policy, small and medium-size enterprises, industrial standards, intellectual property and statistics, the report says.

The report is to be submitted at a meeting of Japanese and ASEAN economic ministers in Brunei's capital on Friday. It demonstrates that the alliance, if realized, would increase gross domestic product by 1.99 percent for ASEAN and 0.07 percent for Japan.