The central event of Khristenko's visit will be the 7th session of the Russo-Japanese intergovernmental commission for trade and economic affairs, which the minister co-chairs.
The Siberia-Pacific pipeline project will, indeed, be a prominent issue on the session's agenda, but not the only one, Khristenko said to reporters ahead of his Far Eastern trip. He pointed out that trade turnover between the two countries had grown dramatically in recent years, exceeding all expectations. According to his statistics, bilateral trade reached a record-high 8,849,400,000 dollars in 2004, marking a 48.4 percent increase on the previous year. Russian imports amounted to $5,694,600,000 while exports, to $3,154,800,000.
Whilst in Japan, Khristenko is also expected to meet with top management of the corporations Toyota Motor and Nissan Motor and to visit their head offices. Speaking of those meetings, the minister said several joint projects in the automotive industry would be discussed.