Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to declare Japan's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade negotiations at a news conference Friday.
A government source on Tuesday confirmed this is the day being considered for the announcement. Abe is thought to be hoping to present his plan, and gain backing for it, at a general assembly of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Sunday.
Meanwhile, some of the countries already engaged in TPP discussions in Singapore have aired concern over Japan's search for an exemption to scrap all tariffs for certain items, such as farm produce, after it joins the talks, a source close to the negotiations said Tuesday.