Japan, Iceland leaders agree to deepen ties to tackle climate change
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed with Icelandic President Halla Tomasdottir on Tuesday to advance their bilateral cooperation on climate change, issues related to the Arctic as well as security, his government said.
The two affirmed in a meeting in Tokyo that their governments will explore potential future collaboration on geothermal power generation, saying the technology contributes to "achieving carbon neutrality," according to a press release. The Nordic country is known for its advanced efforts in harnessing geothermal energy.
"I hope to promote the bilateral relations by advancing concrete cooperation in a wide range of areas," Ishiba told Tomasdottir at the outset of their talks.
On the situation in East Asia, the two leaders agreed to work closely together in dealing with North Korea, which continues to develop nuclear weapons and missiles, according to the Japanese government.
Tomasdottir is making a weeklong visit to Japan through Sunday to attend the World Exposition in Osaka, western Japan. Next year, Japan and Iceland will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties.
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