Economy ministers from Japan, Mekong region agree on cooperation drive+

HUA HIN, Thailand, Oct. 24 Kyodo -
Japan and five Mekong region countries agreed Saturday to beef up economic and
industrial cooperation, notably for improving infrastructure and promoting
dialogue between the public and private sectors.

Japanese economy minister Masayuki Naoshima proposed a strategic initiative for
such cooperation in a meeting with his counterparts from Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam on the sidelines of a series of summit meetings
involving ASEAN and its Asia-Pacific partners.
The economy ministers reached a consensus on the need to move forward with the
proposal, which is also aimed at promoting measures to develop small and
midsized businesses, and to discuss it at a summit meeting between the leaders
of the countries to be held in Tokyo on Nov. 6-7.
''The Mekong region is an engine for growth and hopefully the Japanese economy
will benefit from its development,'' Naoshima said.
The meeting of the economic ministers from Japan and the Mekong region
countries, the first of its kind, was held as the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations is seeking to build a community by 2015 amid economic
disparities within the regional bloc.
Japan has been providing economic assistance for the Mekong region, where
economic development has lagged behind that of other ASEAN areas. Economy,
Trade and Industry Minister Naoshima is accompanying Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama, who is attending ASEAN-related summit talks.
==Kyodo