Japan proposes pollution meeting with China
JAPAN: The foreign ministry in Tokyo on Friday proposed a meeting
with Chinese officials about the choking smog over Beijing that is now
being seen in Japan.
The ministry told China "the Japanese government is concerned and is
closely monitoring the recent serious air pollution in China" as it may
affect Japan's environment as well as Japanese nationals in the country,
a statement said.
Tokyo proposed that the countries hold talks as soon as the Chinese
New Year holiday season ends this month, to discuss how the two parties
can cooperate over the problem.
The suffocating smog that has blanketed swathes of China is hitting
parts of Japan, sparking warnings of health risks for the young and the
sick.
Relations between Tokyo and Beijing are already strained over the
sovereignty of a chain of islands in the East China Sea.
AFP
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