Japan, Mekong nations agree to cooperate on environmental issues

Photo: AFP/POOL - Franck Robichon

TOKYO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Japan and five Mekong nations agreed Saturday to cooperate on issues such as environmental protection and climate change in the next ten years.
In the first summit that opened Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and leaders of the five countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam adopted the Tokyo Declaration, urging enhanced cooperation between the two sides on the environmental issues.

To encourage the region's further development, Japan pledged more than 500 billion yen (5.6 billion U.S. dollars) in official aid to the countries along the Mekong River over the next three years from fiscal 2010.

The Japanese premier will also meet separately with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung later in the day.