Prior to the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in July, a meeting was held of science and technology ministers from 16 countries and organizations on June 15, 2008, in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture. It was the first such meeting held just among science and technology ministers. They discussed such issues as the need for cooperation in science and technology to resolve issues of global scale. Other topics included international cooperation to combat global warming, technical aid to developing countries in Africa and elsewhere, mutual use of large-scale research institutions, and the establishment of greater exchange among researchers.