MANILA (Kyodo) Japan and the Philippines kicked off negotiations here Wednesday for a bilateral free-trade agreement.

The start of the two-day first round of talks followed an accord reached between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during a meeting in Tokyo in December.

Manila wants Tokyo to allow more Philippine professionals, especially nurses and other health-care workers, to work in Japan.

Of the approximately 100,000 visas issued annually to Philippine citizens to work in Japan, about 70 percent are for workers in the broadly defined entertainment industry.

Japan has been reluctant to accept medical workers from the Philippines out of fear they would take jobs away from Japanese or trigger a decline in pay rates at a time when unemployment remains at near-record levels.

Manila is also hoping to increase tropical fruit exports to Japan.

Philippine bananas account for about 80 percent of Japan's banana imports.

Japan wants the Philippines to lower tariffs on industrial products such as automobiles, liberalize the investment and services sectors, and improve the overall business environment.

Japan was the second-largest trading partner for the Philippines after the United States in 2002, with exports of 814 billion yen and imports of 1.06 trillion yen.

Japan has only one FTA, with Singapore, and is in negotiations with Mexico, South Korea and Malaysia on similar arrangements.