Harper made the comment when the two talked briefly on the sidelines of a two-day APEC summit through Sunday in Singapore, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Hatoyama told Harper that the G-8 is an important vehicle for policy coordination through free exchange of views, the ministry said.

Harper was quoted as saying that Japan and Canada share "strong interest" in maintaining the G-8 framework. He said the G-8 will continue to be a useful grouping and that Canada wants to ensure close tie-ups with Japan in that regard.

The G-8 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

APEC comprises Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.