Japan appears to be bobbling a baton Canada passed to it after the world's five major economies adjourned a meeting on global agriculture trade in 1999.

Agriculture ministers from Japan, the United States, Canada, Australia and the European Union -- which currently has 15 member nations -- have come together every two years since the 1980s in an effort to further liberalization global farm trade, with the meeting's venue alternating among the five.

The last conference was held two years ago in Montreal, and now it is Japan's turn to act as host.