Transport officials from 14 countries wrapped up a two-day international counterterrorism conference Friday in Tokyo with a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to ensuring transport security through international cooperation and capacity-building assistance for developing countries.

At the Ministerial Conference on International Transport Security, ministers called for establishment of a new international working group to promote cooperation in ground transport security.

Unlike the U.N. International Maritime Organization and the U.N. International Civil Aviation Organization, there is no international framework for ground transport safety.

Delegates agreed ground transportation is most vulnerable to terrorism, given its accessibility.

"We need structures to collaborate and share our learning" from past experiences, said U.K. Minister for Transport Stephen Ladyman.

He noted Britain has tightened security following the July bombings on the London subway system, and launched random checks of passenger belongings on high-profile transport services such as trains from London to Heathrow airport this week.

"We've got so much experience as a result of (that event) and we are prepared to pass it on to the others," while London can also learn from other countries' past experiences, Ladyman said.

In aviation, the ministers stressed the need to promote international research and development to improve explosive-detection technologies.

"We called for the meeting to bring together senior officials from major countries that are taking the lead in transport security and to discuss the future (of the issue)," Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa said at a joint news conference after the meeting.

Other officials at the conference included U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and senior officials from Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Russia and Singapore.

Officials from the IMO, the ICAO and the World Customs Organization also attended.

The government requested the meeting, the first involving top transport officials that dealt with counterterrorism.