Japan vows to ratify free trade accord with ASEAN

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TOKYO, June 10 (AFP): Japan's government, saying its honour was on the line, vowed today to ratify a free-trade accord with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by extending a parliament session hampered by feuding with the opposition.

"Japan would be laughed at by the international community" if the world's second-largest economy fails to ratify the accord, chief government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura told a news conference.

He said the government planned to extend the current parliament session, which is due to end Sunday, so that the ruling coalition can win approval for key legislation including the free trade accord.

Japan's lower house approved the accord on May 22, but parliament debate on the accord and other key bills has been deadlocked in the upper house, where the opposition camp enjoys a majority.