The Japanese government is expected to study South Korea’s progress in research on human embryonic stem (ES) cells as well as its relevant guidelines and regulations.

According to the Asahi Daily on Monday, Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology plans to invite a Korean research team to a working-level meeting of specialists in late July.

The daily said the Japanese government, which is working on setting ES cell research guidelines, is interested in gleaning knowledge from Korea’s dramatic research progress.

Last year, Seoul succeeded in producing ES cells through a transfer of somatic cell nuclei to ova for the first time in the world as well as cultivating stem cells from somatic cells of a patient with spinal cord damage.

The newspaper reported that Korean law clearly defines the scope of patients for research, while adding that the eggss used in the research were voluntarily donated by Korean women.