The Japanese hosts of the first-ever science and technology summit under the Group of Eight banner say climate change is at the top of its agenda.

The Sunday meeting in Okinawa gathered together the science ministers or their proxies from Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, the United States and the European Union in Nago and concentrated on advancing cooperation in the field of low-carbon, sustainable development, Kyodo News reported.

"It is my hope that by the ministers in charge of science and technology policy getting together and holding intensive dialogue, we will be able to provide input from the aspect of science and technology to the summit and thus further improve its outcome," Fumio Kishida, Japan's science and technology minister, said at the meeting's opening.

Kyodo said the science ministers will discuss ways to promote cooperation on biodiversity, sustainable water supplies and food and energy. They will also discuss ways to help developing nations fight infectious diseases.

The participants said they were going to look into ways to better exchange human resources between nations in an effort to help promote scientific research.