The Japanese and Chinese governments are to set up a joint organization to speed up the collection and disposal of chemical weapons left behind in China by the Imperial Japanese Army following its rout in the closing days of World War II, Japanese government sources said.

The two countries also agreed to seek a five-year extension of the deadline for clearance work, initially set for April 2007 under the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

At the same time, they agreed to revise the estimated number of Japanese wartime munitions in China to a maximum of 400,000, rather than the current 700,000.

The convention, which oversees the disposal of wartime chemical munitions internationally, comprises about 170 nations of which Japan and China are members.

The two governments will soon sign a memorandum so that work can start on the project, the sources said.

According to the sources, the two governments have been holding working-level talks on the problem.

The Japanese government hopes having the Chinese side participate in the organization will ease the proceedings, especially when approval and legal processes are involved under Chinese laws and regulations, the sources said.

The two governments plan to construct a disposal facility in Harbaling, Jilin Province, in spring. Tokyo will contribute 97.3 billion yen, nearly all of the construction cost, for the facility, which will dispose of the Japanese munitions.

In 1997, Japan reported to the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) that it had buried an estimated 700,000 chemical weapons, including 670,000 munitions in Harbaling, China.

But recent surveys conducted using more sensitive equipment have determined that between 300,000 and 400,000 wartime chemical munitions are buried in Harbaling.