Iran and Japan on Sunday signed an agreement on the repatriation of convicts.
During a meeting between Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi and Japanese Ambassador to Tehran Koji Honda, the agreement was signed by the two officials to send back the two countries' nationals held in Iran and Japan to serve their remaining prison terms at home, ISNA reported.
Pourmohammadi said, "The agreement was the second document signed between the two countries in 57 years."
Noting that the previous document was on cultural issues, he said, "The current agreement is of legal and judicial type and that is why it is of high significance to the two states."
Under the agreement, in case the two countries' nationals face any convictions while traveling to the other country, they could serve their prison sentences in their own countries.
Koji Honda, for his part, expressed hope that the negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) would yield positive results to pave the way for the Japanese private sector to invest in the Iranian market with no limitations.
Referring to the judicial agreement, the Japanese envoy said, "The negotiations on the agreement on the repatriation of prisoners between the two countries have been underway since 2008," IRNA reported. He said, "Iran and Japan enjoy good and historical relations and signing such an agreement is considered a significant achievement in the relations between them."
