TOKYO. Sept 9: The flrat shipment of foreign rice is expected to reach Japan from Thailand on November 3 to make up for Japan's poor harvest this year, government sources said Friday, reports AFP.

The sources told the Kyodo news service that a vessel carrying 7.000 tonnes of rice for processing, was scheduled to leave Bangkok for Japan on October 25.

The news agency said Tokyo wsa planning to receive 22 more rice shipments from Thailand totalling 126.000 tonnes, by December 15.

The food agency also plans to import 60.000 tonnes of processed rice iliis year and more than rate ituHion tonin ’ a( rke next fear Includfrie 700.000 tonnes from the l.iiited Stales

Earlier thia month, the Japanese government decided to import 200.000 tonnes of rice this year to help cope with the country's worst rice harvest since the end of World War fl

But Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa said he regarded the Imports as emergency mea surn. ruling out the possibility af Ming the longstanding ban on rice ingiorta. which to one of the major obstacles to a sue eesoful conclusion of the Uruguay Hound of global trade taka.