TOKYO (Nikkei)--Japan needs to add its voice to negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership before it is too late, Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto said Thursday, hinting that a decision on joining the talks would be made by autumn.

TOKYO (Nikkei)--A technical college backed by the governments of Japan and Malaysia is set to open in Kuala Lumpur this September, with 22 Japanese schools providing support for education in such fields as precision machinery and electronics.

TOKYO (Nikkei)--New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said Thursday that he hopes Japan will make sufficient progress in the near future so it can join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations.