Japan to host Arab economic forum in December

Japan will host the third meeting of Japan-Arab Economic Forum in December to discuss ways to further enhance economic relations between Japan and the Arab countries, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. Representatives from Japan and the 22-member Arab League are expected to gather at the two-day forum from December 16, which was originally scheduled last year. The forum was established here in 2009 as a framework of the ministerial-level dialogue for the purpose of strengthening mutual economic relations between Japan and the Arab countries through cooperation in a wide range of fields. The second meeting, which was held in Tunisia in December 2010, received 1, 100 participants, including 700 from Arab countries.