Japan on Thursday offered to cooperate with other Asian countries to address ocean pollution by reducing plastic debris.
The country, together with China and South Korea, will assist the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in enhancing their monitoring of plastic waste and assessing the impact on the marine ecosystem through research, according to an action plan presented at their leaders' summit.
Large amounts of marine plastic waste have become a serious global issue. Small plastic debris is hard to retrieve and the full impact of it on the environment has yet to be fully determined.