Former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is urging the Abe government to actively gather information about the China-led Asian development bank to determine whether Japan should join it.

While noting that there is not enough information about the proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Fukuda told reporters Sunday in Boao, Hainan province, that Japan should step forward and ask China about it rather than say it can't decide because of a lack of details.

Fukuda also expressed understanding over the planned establishment of the AIIB, saying, "There is demand in Asia for investment into infrastructure. If that cannot be met under the current frameworks, developing infrastructure in countries that lack them will be delayed."

The former leader was in Hainan to attend the annual Boao Forum for Asia, which he chairs.

Meanwhile, Denmark became the latest country to file an application with China to take part in the AIIB, which will offer loans for construction of infrastructure systems in emerging countries and is set to be established later this year, the Chinese Finance Ministry said Sunday.

Earlier Sunday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott issued a statement making formal his country's intention to take part in the new bank.

Canberra had initially refrained from joining the AIIB in line with its skeptical ally, the United States, but reversed its position after countries such as Britain decided to take part.

The initiative proposed last year by President Xi Jinping to set up the bank with an initial capital of around $50 billion is likely to have more than 40 countries as founding members. Beijing has set the end of March as the deadline for filing applications to join.