Japan-EU summit to be held in Tokyo on April 28+

TOKYO, April 13 Kyodo -
An annual summit between Japan and the European Union will be held in Tokyo on
April 28 to discuss the economy, climate change, nuclear disarmament and other
issues, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Tuesday.
On the economic front, Okada said that Japan is eager to agree with the
European Union on launching a joint study group on a bilateral free trade
agreement, but he is not sure whether the two sides will agree on the matter
during the upcoming talks.
''We are currently studying what kind of proposals we can make on (the
reduction of) nontariff barriers, which is an issue the European Union has
raised,'' Okada told a regular press conference.
The meeting is expected to be attended by Japanese Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama and Okada as well as EU President Herman Van Rompuy and European
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, according to the Japanese Foreign
Ministry and the EU delegation in Japan.
The Japan-EU Summit Meeting has been held annually either in Japan or Europe
with the aim of enhancing ties between the two economies.
==Kyodo