Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

I have the honour to be visiting this country of culture, tradition and prosperity.

My wife and I have been looking forward to emphasising the bonds between Norway and Japan. I have been looking forward to meeting with my colleague, Prime Minister Koizumi, and with other political leaders.

Norway and Japan are far apart. Yet, our two countries share many interests.

It is a pleasure to open this symposium on one of those shared interests: On gender equality and how to reconcile family and work life.

I express my gratitude to the Japanese Cabinet Office for their valuable assistance to this symposium, and the Asahi Shimbun for their generous support.

The Ministers of Fisheries, Trade and Industry, as well as Children and Family Affairs accompany myself on this visit to Japan.

This reflects the dynamics of our political dialogue and the broad scope of our relations.

At Reykjavik in Iceland four years ago, the Nordic and Japanese prime ministers signed a declaration on Japan - Nordic Partnership for the 21st Century.

This valuable cooperation includes gender equality as one of our common interests and priorities.

In today’s world, any country that aims at its full potential needs to make use of all its human resources.

Any country that wants to play an international role must allow all its citizens, regardless of gender, the possibility to exploit their talents and capacities.

Gender equality is given high priority by my Government. My Minister of Children and Family Affairs Ms. Dåvøy will shortly give you an introduction to our policies in this field.

Last year, the Norwegian Gender Equality Act was revised. Stricter measures against sexual harassment, better protection for pregnant women and strengthened rights for employees taking parental leave are but a few of the improvements included. My Government emphasises the duty for all firms, institutions and public agencies to take positive action for gender equality and to report on an annual basis.

Gender equality is an issue for all members of my Government, as it should be for all decision-makers in public and private sectors. I am proud that the initiative taken last year by my Minister of Trade and Industry in companionship with Ms. Dåvøy - to increase female representation to 40 per cent in public joint stock company board rooms - is setting an international standard.

My colleagues and I will today broaden our understanding and knowledge of Japanese gender equality policies and thinking. We look forward to it.

A Norwegian-Japanese seminar was organised in Oslo in February.

Today’s symposium is a fitting follow-up. Present here are high-level representatives from different sectors of Japanese society, people with influence, experience and understanding.

I trust that today’s discussions will reach beyond this conference hall and make a difference in our societies.

I wish you a fruitful debate, and declare the symposium open.

Thank you for your attention.