Agence France-Presse, Associated Press
Last updated 05:08pm (Mla time) 09/08/2006
TOKYO — (3RD UPDATE) Japan said Friday it will sign a free-trade pact with the Philippines, ending prolonged negotiations that had stalled largely over how many Filipino nurses could come to work in the world’s second largest economy.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will sign the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) in Helsinki, Finland on the sidelines of the upcoming 38-nation Asia-Europe Meeting, the Japanese government said.
“The signing … will take place (Saturday) between President Arroyo and Prime Minister Koizumi,” Foreign Minister Taro Aso told reporters in Tokyo.
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