Okada says specifics of 'E. Asian community' difficult to work out+

TOKYO, Sept. 29 Kyodo -
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada indicated Tuesday that it would be difficult to
quickly work out details of an ''East Asian community'' concept for closer
regional cooperation, apparently trying to lower the attention the concept is
drawing.

''I don't think we can fully work out the specifics of an East Asian community,
even if we try to,'' Okada said, referring to the concept presented by the new
Japanese government led by the Democratic Party of Japan which is seen as
taking a more Asian-oriented stance.
''A situation like the European Union cannot be quickly created. What we can do
now is to uphold the big vision of an East Asian community and work on what we
have in front of us step by step,'' Okada said.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama referred to the concept during a speech at the
United Nations last week, saying that he hopes the idea will gradually take
shape in Japan and its potential partners that have the capacity to work
together in fields such as free trade, finance, currency, energy and the
environment.
During a meeting between Okada, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and South
Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu Myung Hwan on Monday in Shanghai,
they also agreed to promote regional economic cooperation with the concept of
an ''East Asian community.''
==Kyodo