Finland, recently named the world's "most prosperous" country, no longer sees economic growth as a reason to feel happy as the global crisis has changed how people value their lives, Finland foreign minister said in a recent interview in Tokyo.

Alexander Stubb, in Japan to meet officials of the new administration, said a prosperous nation or lifestyle has more to do with concepts like education, opportunity and mutual trust than making money.

"Japan and Finland are similar in that we have very few natural resources," he said. "That's why we have to play to our strengths, which are education and the services sector.