Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and his British counterpart, Gordon Brown, agreed June 2 on the importance of the Group of Eight nations coordinating closely to tackle rising crude oil and food prices around the world.

Speaking at a joint news conference following their talks in London, the two leaders also shared the view that the G-8 leaders must send out a strong message for dealing with climate change during their July summit in Hokkaido.

Fukuda's visit to the British capital is part of his preparations to host the G-8 summit, involving Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

After his European tour, Fukuda, who took office in September, will have met all his counterparts in the G-8, except Canada.