LIMA (Kyodo) Telecommunications ministers from Japan and four Latin American countries agreed during a conference Monday to cooperate on promoting a digital terrestrial television standard used in Japan.

Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kazuhiro Haraguchi said in his opening remarks at the conference that the introduction of the Japanese standard will pave the way for easy access to information by poor people and in mountainous areas.

Also participating in the conference were ministers from Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru, all of which have adopted the Japanese standard.

Peruvian President Alan Garcia delivered the keynote speech.

Competing variants of digital terrestrial television technology are used throughout the world.

Various standards, including those adopted in Japan and the United States, are competing in Latin America. Venezuela is leaning toward adopting the Japanese standard, which is considered relatively free of interference.

Brazil in 2006 became the first foreign country to adopt the Japanese standard. The country has already begun digital terrestrial television broadcasting service.