Japan, Peru agree to work on EPA, boost cooperation for small firms+

TOKYO, Nov. 10 Kyodo -
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Peruvian President Alan Garcia
agreed Tuesday to work on an economic partnership agreement that is being
negotiated and to strengthen bilateral cooperation in assisting small and
midsize firms.

On the occasion of Garcia's two-day visit to Japan, the two countries also
exchanged diplomatic notes that would lead a bilateral investment treaty to
take effect Dec. 10, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
During their 45-minute meeting in Tokyo, Garcia expressed his willingness to
conclude the partnership deal between the two countries soon. Hatoyama was
quoted by the ministry as telling his Peruvian counterpart, ''Although we both
face difficult problems, we want to make creative efforts to overcome them
quickly.''
The two countries also exchanged notes in which Japan has committed itself to
providing Peru with grant aid worth 1.93 billion yen for a project to build a
national rehabilitation center for the handicapped in the Latin American
country.
In the meeting, Garcia said he hopes the two countries will boost bilateral
cooperation for small and midsize firms and play greater roles in reducing
military spending in the world.
For his part, Hatoyama said, ''We will promote cooperation in that field and
work firmly with (Peru) on measures to combat global warming.''
Hatoyama also thanked Garcia for helping Peru adopt the Japanese format for
terrestrial digital TV broadcasting, saying the move has helped other Latin
American countries follow suit.
Garcia said he expects Peru's decision on the Japanese format in April to
promote further cooperation between the two nations in science and technology.
The ministry hopes that the treaty, signed in November 2008 for the promotion,
protection and liberalization of investments, will contribute to closer
cooperation between the two countries in the economic arena, according to a
ministry press release.
==Kyodo
2009-11-11 00:41:57