Japan and Mongolia agreed Thursday to hold working-level talks to study whether the two countries should conclude a bilateral free-trade accord, the Foreign Ministry said.
The decision was reached in Tokyo between Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and his Mongolian counterpart, Gombojavyn Zandanshatar, who said he intended to seek an FTA. Zandanshatar is visiting Japan for the first time since becoming minister of foreign affairs and trade in November.
During the working-level talks, the two countries hope to look into the economic benefits of an economic partnership agreement. The talks will be a step toward considering the launching of government-private sector research on the matter, a Foreign Ministry official said in Tokyo.
An economic partnership agreement goes beyond a free-trade agreement, which aims mainly at removing tariffs on goods and trade barriers for services, and covers areas such as intellectual property rights and investment protection rules.
Meanwhile, Zandanshatar also voiced hope that Japan will cooperate in his country's development of mineral resources, including uranium.