Japan and the European Union agreed Wednesday to step up cooperation in the fight against global warming, calling for a "highly ambitious and binding international approach" to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who now serves as president-in-office of the European Council, met Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda at his official residence in Tokyo in an annual meeting between top EU and Japanese leaders.
In a joint statement, they expressed "strong concern" over recent sharp rises in the prices of crude oil and food, saying such developments could slow down the global economy and particularly hurt developing countries' efforts to overcome poverty.