Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday Japan would consider joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) if questions surrounding its projects’ environmental impacts and other issues are resolved, citing the Japan Times.

The Belt and Road Initiative serves the interests of Japan, said researcher Jiang Yuechun of China Institute of International Studies during an interview with Global Times.

The Japanese government hasn’t made decision to join the AIIB, Jiang noted. But some Japanese scholars and officials expressed their hope to enter the AIIB as soon as possible, saying that if Japan goes on to reject the AIIB, its economic development will be influenced.

The Asia-Pacific region boasts more economic dynamism and higher growth rate than other places around the globe. However, the infrastructure in this region has been far from satisfactory, and to some extent, that hinders its economic development, the researcher said.

Compared with the Asian Development Bank, a regional development bank established in the 1960s with Japan as one of the largest shareholders, AIIB is more inclusive and more focused on investing in sustainable infrastructure. Asian and the Pacific countries are facing strong needs for infrastructure-related construction projects. A more focused organization will play a bigger role in this field, said the expert.

Members of the AIIB have increased to 84 since the organization started operations two years ago. Japan and the US are the only G7 members that haven’t signed up for the AIIB.

Jiang believes that Japan might join the AIIB, but it still takes some time.

Tuesday marks the second anniversary of the AIIB, and the organization realized some of its goals and made some unexpected progress two years on. The AIIB will never be a rival to other multilateral development banks, said AIIB President Jin Liqun Wednesday at a press conference, adding that the doors are always open to the United States and Japan.