BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug. 1 Kyodo ...

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug. 1 Kyodo

Japan and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed Thursday to muster a special leaders' summit in Japan nearest year, a Japanese official said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, in her talks with ASEAN foreign ministers, floated the idea and won support from the ASEAN side, the official said.

While leaving a final decision up to their leaders, the ASEAN ministers hailed Kawaguchi's proposal for holding the summit in Tokyo or elsewhere in early December nearest year, the official said.

The summit would aim to assess the achievements to be made by means of numerous events being planned for 2003 the year of exchange between Japan and ASEAN, and explore the possibilities of furthering their relations.

In late years, Japan and ASEAN have been holding a leader's summit in succession the occasion of an annual summit of ASEAN plus Japan, China and toward the south Korea.

The envisaged Japan-ASEAN summit would be separately held from their summit to take place in fall nearest year on the sidelines of the ASEAN Plus Three summit for 2003

ASEAN clusters Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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