Tokyo, Japan - According to "Kyodo News" a summit to be led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Enrique Pena Nieto in Tokyo will be part of Japan’s venue to kick off its diplomatic campaign to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations (TPP.)

Mexico entered the TPP last year during Felipe Calderon's presidency.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had said they would join the TPP earlier but Japan waited, intending to secure exceptions to tariff elimination on grains such as rice and barley, which Tokyo describes as "sacrosanct" according to the news.

The summit will mark the start of Japan’s diplomatic drive to join the negotiations, which could happen as early as July if the TPP members decide to hold a meeting around that time.

Mexico expressed interest in joining the TPP discussions along with Canada in November 2011 and they both joined last year after being approved by the nine other countries in membership at the time.

Japan and Mexico forged a bilateral free-trade agreement in 2005.

The TPP originated as a free-trade arrangement among Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore. The original four members are currently negotiating a Pacific Rim free-trade framework with seven other countries — the United States, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, and Vietnam.