Trade minister Shoichi Nakagawa will visit Malaysia on Sunday to try to make a breakthrough in negotiations on a bilateral free-trade agreement, ministry officials said Friday.
The minister of economy, trade and industry will hold talks Sunday in Kuala Lumpur with his Malaysian counterpart, International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz, they said.
The two countries aim to reach a basic accord in time for Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's visit to Japan from Tuesday.
Marathon FTA sessions at the vice minister-level have been held in Malaysia since Tuesday.
"I believe we have narrowed our differences," Nakagawa told a news conference Friday morning.
The two countries, which launched official FTA talks in January 2004, have reached a basic accord on agricultural and marine products but cannot agree on industrial products.
Malaysia's policy of protecting domestic steelmakers and carmakers has become a sticking point in the talks.