Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder agreed Thursday to support each other's candidacies for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council.

Last month, a U.N. panel proposed two options for expanding the Security Council to 24 members from the current 15. But neither option would add new veto-wielding members.

Speaking at an economic forum earlier in the day, Schroeder said new members should have equal status concerning veto rights. It is the first time Schroeder has mentioned this issue.

He said, "Double standards shouldn't be applied" if the UNSC is enlarged.

At a joint news conference after the summit, Koizumi agreed with Schroeder, saying "The new permanent members and the current permanent members should not differ" in their veto power.

"I will only say that they should be granted equal rights," he said.

Asked whether Germany would consider submitting a resolution on the expansion of the Security Council with three other nations seeking permanent seats -- Japan, Brazil and India -- Schroeder said that it is "not the right time yet" to openly discuss the matter.

He said, "The four nations should first proceed by (lobbying other countries) on a bilateral basis." Schroeder is on a three-day visit to Tokyo.

During the meeting with Koizumi, Schroeder expressed his intention to push forward U.N. reforms "before summer," according to a Japanese official who briefed reporters.

The two leaders agreed to include a representative nation from Africa in their campaign to gain a permanent seat on the UNSC, the official said.

They also said the U.N. Charter's so-called enemy clause, which labels Japan, Germany and five other nations as former enemies of the Allies during World War II, should be revised, the official said.

On issues of Iraq, Schroeder said that Germany will train police officers in Al-Muthanna Province, where Japan's Self-Defense Forces are stationed, to help maintain security in the region. Germany has been training Iraqi police officers in the United Arab Emirates since March.

Although Japan and Germany have taken a different stance on the U.S.-led war on Iraq, Koizumi said there is no difference of opinion regarding assistance to Iraq.

Information from AP added