China and Japan have agreed to jointly recover and dispose of chemical weapons left behind in China by the Japanese military at the end of World War Two, Yomiuri Shimbun reported, citing a Japanese government source. Tokyo and Beijing are to authorize the establishment of an organization, based in Haerbaling in the northeastern province of Jilin and staffed by officials from both countries, to recover and dispose of up to 400,000 shells by 2012. The Japanese government will cover almost the entire US$807 million cost of the facilities. However, tensions are unlikely to be eased by Japan's decision to dramatically increase the number of boats and planes patrolling the East China Sea gas field, ownership of which is contested by the countries, AFP reported.
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