Russia and Japan Move Forward on Major Natural Gas Deal VLADIVOSTOK, Russia - Gazprom, Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly, signed an accord on Saturday with the government of Japan to move forward with plans for the construction of a $13 billion natural gas terminal here that would propel the Kremlin's ambitions to multiply its business and trade ties in the Far East. While the ultimate deal still hinges on reaching an agreement on the price Japan will pay for the natural gas, the accord is a crucial step toward increasing Russian energy exports at a time when Japan is eager to find alternatives to its largely shuttered, and politically embattled, nuclear power industry. The agreement was signed by Aleksei Miller, the chairman of Gazprom, and Ichiro Takahara, a senior Japanese trade official, on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting, which is being held in Russia for the first time. Gazprom already sells natural gas to Japan, but another major deal would further reduce Russia's reliance on Europe as its primary market. In a statement, Mr. Miller said that the Asia-Pacific market was "the most capacious in the world" and that within the next few years, sales by Gazprom to Asia would exceed its sales in Europe, where the company fills roughly a quarter of the Continent's demand. At the economic summit meeting, officials said that the 21 members of the economic group, representing Pacific nations from Asia and the Americas, had reached an agreement to prevent any ban on the export of grains or other food products that could lead to rising prices and social unrest. A ban on grain exports by Russia in 2010 was widely viewed as contributing to a global spike in prices, and it raised doubts about Russia as a reliable supplier of agricultural products. Severe droughts in the United States and parts of Russia this year have renewed fears of increases in food prices. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has said there will be no export ban this year, and experts say that solid harvests in other parts of the world, including India, should help avert a crisis. Mr. Putin, as the conference host, had set food security as a top item on the agenda. Officials said they had also reached an accord to reduce tariffs on products related to 54 technologies deemed environmentally friendly - fulfilling a goal set at the economic conference last year. Among the so-called green-technology items to benefit from the tariff reductions is equipment used for generating renewable energy, like solar and wind power, as well as products related to recycling and wastewater treatment. Under the agreement, customs duties could be no more than 5 percent by 2015. One development being celebrated here in Vladivostok is Russia's entry last month into the World Trade Organization, making it the last major world economy to join the group, which establishes global norms and provides mechanisms to settle disputes. But even as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton praised her Russian hosts for this development, noting that American exports "could double or even triple" as a result, she also criticized lingering protectionist policies, especially favored treatment of state-owned businesses. Her comments were a clear rebuke of Russia and China, both of which maintain large state-controlled companies and sovereign wealth investment funds.