Tokyo and Beijing appear close to agreement on joint development of natural gas fields in disputed waters of the East China Sea, a deal that would resolve one of the most contentious issues to strain Sino-Japanese ties in recent years.

The two countries agreed over the weekend to accelerate negotiations about how they might jointly develop the gas fields, Japan's foreign ministry yesterday said.

Nobutaka Machimura, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, told reporters he believed the discussions were in their last stages, while Japanese media said announcement of a deal could come this week. ... Read full article