Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien stressed the importance of nongovernmental organizations in working toward world peace, at the Canada-Japan Joint Symposium on Peacebuilding for Development, held Thursday at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo.

"Canada and Japan share common objectives for world peace and development," Chretien said at the opening session of the two-day symposium, noting the two countries can be strong and effective partners in this field.

The prime minister also stressed the importance of NGO participation in the process. Referring to peacekeeping operations in which Canada has participated and looking ahead to a planned operation in East Timor, Chretien said, "Why are we doing that? Because it is the right thing to do."

In his address, Komura said the Japanese government is promoting in diplomatic policies the idea of respect for each individual human being, aiming to make the coming century a "human-centered century."

"Aid-disbursing countries, international organizations and NGOs need to unite and cooperate" to prevent conflicts and build peace in the world, he said, adding the two countries can do a lot together to deal with the eradication of land mines.

Yutaka Iimura, director general of the Foreign Ministry's Economic Cooperation Bureau, emphasized in his keynote speech the importance of roles played by the government and NGOs in Japan's assistance programs for developing and strife-torn countries.

Citing examples of volunteer activists he met while in Kosovo and other war-torn areas, he said stronger emphasis should be placed on individuals in dealing with security issues.

At the symposium jointly held by the Foreign Ministry, the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Canadian Embassy, representatives of NGOs from both countries in peace and development fields held panel discussions later in the day.