FUJIYOSHIDA, Yamanashi Pref. -- Business leaders attending a Japan Federation of Employers' Associations (Nikkeiren) meeting here agreed Friday that the group should pursue a merger with the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren).
Nikkeiren Chairman Hiroshi Okuda said the two key business groups in Japan will jointly set up a project team to embody the move as soon as they individually secure formal approval for the possible consolidation next month.
"I hope the project team will draw up a concrete plan for the consolidation by no later than May, and that a new organization will be created next year," Okuda told a press conference on the second and final day of Nikkeiren's three-day annual seminar.