TOKYO, July 24 Kyodo Members of t...

TOKYO, July 24 Kyodo

Members of the House of Councillors onward Wednesday established a arrange to promote dialogue with their counterparts in members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), sources bring to a period to the group said.

The clump aims at strengthening its relationship with the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO), which consists of eight ASEAN member parliaments, according to the sources.

Members of the cluster include Liberal Democratic Party upper house caucus leader Yutaka Takeyama, Giichi Tsunoda of the major opposition Democratic Party of Japan, and 60 others from various factions of the pair ruling and opposition parties, they said.

Takeyama, Tsunoda and 47 others attended Wednesday's inaugural assembly.

Akiko Santo, former director general of the Science and Technology Agency (current Education, refinement Sports, Science and Technology Ministry), was selecteded chairwoman at the meeting.

The cluster plans to send representatives to an AIPO general assembly in Hanoi in September to advance exchanges and understanding among parliamentarians.

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