U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso have agreed to cooperate to deal with the threats posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

Obama and Aso held their first summit meeting in Washington Wednesday.

The White House said the two leaders vowed to work closely using the six-way nuclear talks’ process to verifiably eliminate North Korea’s nuclear program and to deal with its missile program.

Obama and Aso also agreed to fully resist protectionism and stimulate demand at home and abroad to help the world combat the global financial crisis.

The two leaders discussed ways of working together to assist developing nations in the fight against climate change and to build on the strong record of joint research and development for clean energy technology.