The government said Tuesday it will call on countries and international organizations taking part in a conference in March on global water issues to adopt region-specific action plans, including those promoting aid for water improvement and facilities, officials said.

Japan will propose the plan at a meeting in Kyoto on Nov. 25 before presenting it to the two-day ministerial-level meeting of the Third World Water Forum beginning March 22, the officials said.

Participants will be expected to devise concrete proposals by late February that promote action specific to their regions in an effort to deal with various water issues, including shortage of drinking water, they said.

Japan will host the forum, which will run March 16 to 23 in Kyoto, Osaka and Shiga prefectures.

Under the envisioned plan, dubbed the "Blueprint for Action," Japan intends to promote official development assistance for water and sanitation facilities, and improve the water quality of lakes and rivers, the officials said.

It will also promote giving aid to nongovernmental organizations, the officials added.

Japan plans to achieve the targets proposed at the World Summit for Sustainable Development last summer in Johannesburg. These include increasing people's accessibility to clean water by 2015, they said.

Developed countries are expected to introduce measures highlighting the role of the private sector, the officials said.