Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says his country will no longer build coal-fired thermal power plants that lack measures to reduce carbon emissions.

Kishida made the pledge on Friday during a summit-level meeting at the COP28 United Nations climate change conference in the United Arab Emirates.

The prime minister referred to the international community's goal of limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Kishida said the world is still not on track to achieve that target, adding that "actions until 2030 will be vital to correcting our course."

He also said Japan continues to work toward a 46-percent emissions cut by fiscal 2030 compared to levels in fiscal 2013, and a 50-percent reduction thereafter.

Kishida stressed that the country is making steady progress, having already cut emissions by about 20 percent.