Brussels, 22/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - European Council President Herman Van Rompuy spoke by telephone to Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Tuesday 22 March to express the “solidarity” of the 27 EU member states and the EU's “admiration for the way the Japanese people are working together to assist one another in the wake of this horrific natural disaster”. He also expressed the Union's “full confidence” in the Japanese government's handling of this catastrophe. The EU stands ready to assist Japan in any way that it can, Van Rompuy went on, noting that an EU Civil Protection Assessment and Coordination Team arrived in Tokyo on Saturday 19 March to coordinate EU aid which is arriving in the country. “We stand ready to respond to any further request” for assistance, Van Rompuy said. He also told the Japanese prime minister that the situation in Japan would be discussed by European leaders in the European Council on 24-25 March, and at the EU-Japan summit at the end of May. (H.B./transl.rt)