The Ad Hoc Committee for Intersessional Business established by the parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade met in Geneva from February 2, 1953 to consider Japan's request to become a contracting party. On February 15, it was provisionally agreed that no special modifications or additions to the agreement would be necessary to incorporate Japan. The committee recommended that speedy procedures for granting relief be provided should the admission of Japan have any of the “unfortunate consequences” some members were reported to foresee. Such a procedure, the committee pointed out, was provided in Article 23 of the agreement by which any party could be relieved from the obligation to refrain from discriminating against another party if the contracting parties as a group decided that such relief would further the general objectives of the agreement.