Arrangements are currently being made for the Japanese leader to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the 21-member regional forum, according to Japan's top government spokesman.

It is highly likely that Hatoyama will hold a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in which a decades-old sovereignty row over four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido will likely top the agenda.

"I would like to advance discussions on the issue a step further," the prime minister told reporters Wednesday.

Hatoyama is scheduled to leave Haneda airport shortly after meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Tokyo on Friday evening.

Obama is set to visit Japan for two days from Friday and leave for Singapore on Saturday afternoon, also to attend the APEC summit.

Obama's trip to Japan has been pushed back one day from Thursday so he can attend a ceremony to commemorate the victims of last week's shooting rampage at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas.

It is rare for the leader of a country hosting a summit meeting to leave a visiting counterpart in the country.

The Japanese prime minister has to leave for Singapore as scheduled because arrangements have already been made for Saturday, a Japanese government source said.

During the two-day APEC summit, the participants are expected to discuss growth strategies for the global economy, which has yet to see a full recovery, and ideas for forming a regional forum, including the possibility of creating an "East Asian community" as advocated by Hatoyama, according to Japanese government officials.

They are also likely to hold discussions toward the early conclusion of the stalled Doha Round of trade liberalization talks under the World Trade Organization, they said.

Hatoyama is scheduled to deliver a speech Sunday on Japan's foreign policy toward Asia.