Japan economy recovering quickly from quake, Kaieda tells ASEAN+

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 Kyodo -
Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda said Saturday that Japan's economy is recovering from the aftermath of the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and tsunami at a faster rate than initially expected.
Kaieda made the comments at a meeting in the Malaysian capital with his counterparts from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and officials of the Federation of Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in ASEAN.
In the talks, participants agreed to make further efforts to improve the business environment for Japanese companies operating in the region as well as to meet regularly. The outcome of the meeting will be reported to an East Asia summit to be held in Jakarta in November and other related conferences.
''I felt that even when Japan had become inward-looking following the disaster, the world was moving,'' Kaieda told reporters after the meeting. ''The Japanese economy must be opened up to the outside.''
During the meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the group of Japanese chambers of commerce asked ASEAN ministers to promote the utilization of the Japan-ASEAN free trade agreement and improve customs procedures for Japanese companies, and the ASEAN side said it will deal with the requests positively.
On moves to restrict imports of Japan-made food and related products due to worries about radioactive contamination resulting from the disaster-triggered nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, Kaieda asked ASEAN members to consider such measures ''calmly based on scientific grounds.''
He also said the output of manufacturers in areas devastated by the quake and tsunami is expected to return to levels before the disaster by the end of July.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
==Kyodo