India and Japan have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to open their market and boost bilateral trade. Under the agreement, Japan will eliminate duties on 95 per cent of its industrial goods and other exports to India and India will do the same on 85 per cent of its exports to Japan. Official sources said,the pact is likely to come in to force by 1st of April. The bilateral trade amounts to over 10 billion Dollars, a year.AIR correspondent reports, this is the third Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement after Singapore and South Korea.The pact will also help in increasing investment opportunities and strengthen protection for investment, besides intellectual property rights. Other objectives of the agreement include the promotion of cooperation for effective enforcement of competition laws, an improved business environment and a framework to enhance closer cooperation in the fields agreed to in the agreement. Japan will have to get the agreement rectified by its Parliament .