Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba has urged his Mexican counterpart to participate in joint efforts to swiftly enact a revised bilateral free-trade agreement.
In a meeting Friday with Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum's gathering in Honolulu, Genba asked Mexico, Japan's largest trading partner in Central and South America, to improve the business environment as Japanese firms are increasingly investing in the country, the Foreign Ministry said.
The revised FTA, which the two governments signed in September and submitted to the Diet and Mexico's Parliament for ratification, is designed to deepen bilateral economic ties through measures such as improved market access.
Genba expressed gratitude for Mexico's support of reconstruction efforts in the Tohoku region after the March 11 disasters, the ministry said in a press release.
Espinosa, meanwhile, called for Japan's cooperation when Mexico chairs the Group of 20 major developed and emerging economies next year.