Trade minister Yukio Edano on Tuesday denied speculation that the government will announce a decision to join talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement during the East Asia Summit meeting next week in Cambodia.

"We are not in a situation of immediately making any new decisions — at least not in the coming several days or weeks," Edano told reporters when asked how preparations toward Japan's participation in the negotiations involving Asia-Pacific countries are proceeding.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said in his policy speech last month that Japan will promote the TPP agreement and other regional free-trade initiatives simultaneously, and speculation has emerged that he may use the summit as an opportunity to announce Japan's participation in the U.S.-led multilateral negotiations.