Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and visiting South African President Thabo Mbeki agreed Monday to step up cooperation on Africa's development and also pledged to cooperate with global efforts against terrorism.

During their meeting at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, Mbeki said South Africa strongly condemns the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and that other African countries must also commit themselves to fighting terrorism.

Koizumi explained Japan's readiness to cooperate with the United States in noncombat roles, a Foreign Ministry official said.

Koizumi also expressed strong support for Mbeki's New African Initiative, a blueprint for addressing poverty, military conflicts and other problems plaguing the continent.

The NAI was adopted by the Organization of African Unity in July, and the Group of Eight countries supported the initiative at a meeting later in the month in Genoa, Italy.

To help support the initiative, Koizumi and Mbeki confirmed that a ministerial meeting will be held in Tokyo in December to prepare for the third Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD III in 2003. Japan hosted TICAD meetings in 1993 and 1998.

Koizumi's pledge to support African development follows former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's policy speech delivered in Johannesburg in January, in which Mori said there will be no stability or prosperity in the world in the 21st century without solving Africa's problems.

Mori visited South Africa and other countries in January, becoming the first Japanese prime minister to visit sub-Saharan Africa.

Mbeki's state visit is in return for Mori's visit.

Koizumi and Mbeki also agreed on launching negotiations on a science and technology pact at an early date and enhance business exchanges.

South Africa's economy is by far the biggest in Africa, with its gross domestic product accounting for 40 percent of sub-Saharan Africa's gross domestic product.