NEW YORK (Kyodo) U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on Tuesday praised Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama for pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels at the U.N. summit earlier in the day.
In a 30-minute talk on the sidelines of the summit in New York, Ban told Hatoyama the 25 percent reduction is largely the result of the prime minister's leadership and that U.N. members received the pledge very favorably, Foreign Ministry officials said.
In addition, Hatoyama, who took office last week, also proposed establishing international mechanisms that can offer technological and financial support to developing nations interested in countering the global warming trend, according to the officials.
Hatoyama told Ban that, although the target is an ambitious one, he is firmly determined to achieve it for the sake of the planet's survival. He also said Japan is looking to take a global leadership role in science and technology.
In a release issued after the meeting, Ban "strongly welcomed" the speech by Hatoyama and commended him for showing "leadership and commitment" that would change the dynamic of the discussion on climate change.
Officials also quoted Ban as saying he will not spare any effort in resolving problems related to the Korean Peninsula, while commending Japan's U.N. Security Council contributions to talks on Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests.