The government plans to compile a trade policy next month that will advocate the pursuit of more free-trade agreements, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Friday.
Six ministers in charge of FTA talks informally agreed earlier in the day to promote FTAs, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiken Sugiura said.
The ministers met while preparing for a trip to Laos by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who will meet with Asian leaders, including Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Sugiura said.
The government will work out criteria for selecting potential FTA partners, putting priority on ongoing and planned negotiations with partners mainly in Asia.
Japanese and Philippine trade ministers reached a basic agreement in Santiago last week to conclude a bilateral FTA. Koizumi and Arroyo are expected to endorse the accord in a meeting on the sidelines of a series of ASEAN summits starting Monday in Vientiane.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its dialogue partners -- Japan, China and South Korea -- are to hold summits in Vientiane through Tuesday.