Japan and China agreed Wednesday to step up their cooperation in combating air pollution when their environment ministers held their first talks in three years in the latest sign of thawing relations between Asia's two biggest economies.
Environment Minister Yoshio Mochizuki met separately with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts, Chen Jining and Yoon Seong-kyu, in Shanghai a day before their trilateral meeting.
Chen, who was appointed to the ministerial post in late February, said at the outset of the meeting he is "very pleased" to discuss cooperation on environmental protection with Japan.