Japan-Mexico free trade pact in mid Sept

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will be in Mexico City September 17 to sign a Japan-Mexico free trade treaty, Mexican officials said Friday.

After more than a year of negotiations, the two countries last March reached a trade accord covering more than 99 percent of industrial goods and selected Mexican farm exports.

The trade pact will be the first signed by Japan with a Latin American country, and by Mexico with an Asian country.

Mexico, along with Canada and the United States, is a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Japan has a free trade agreement with Singapore and is currently in separate negotiations with Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand for bilateral trade accords.