At a meeting of the Japan-Russia Intergovernmental Committee on Trade and Economic Issues, held in a Moscow suburb, the two sides also confirmed plans to develop the areas  of the Far East and Japan's Sea of Japan as a single economic sphere. The meeting, the 15th of its kind, was co-chaired by the two ministers. At a joint press conference after the meeting, Motegi said that bilateral cooperation has been progressing steadily and that exchanges between the two nations have been smooth.