BERGEN, Norway -- The leaders of Japan and the Nordic countries ended their first-ever summit June 26 with a call to work together on the environment and share expertise on social welfare programs.
Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto came to Bergen, the main city on Norway's west coast, to join a regular meeting of the prime ministers of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland.
At a news conference following the nearly two-hour session, Hashimoto said the "first-ever Nordic-Japanese summit" should lead to regular meetings.