SINGAPORE, Nov 21: Japan and India on Wednesday agreed to work for the conclusion of a bilateral free trade agreement by mid-2008, moving up their previous target date by six months, officials said.

New Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh made the decision in talks on the sidelines of a regional summit in Singapore.

“The Indian side said the talks on an economic partnership agreement with Japan are moving forward and that New Delhi wanted to conclude it mid-next year,” said a Japanese government spokesman, Mitsuhide Iwaki.

“Prime Minister Fukuda agreed.” Iwaki added that Fukuda had asked Singh to handle the issue “with flexibility.”

—AFP