On October 3 (local time), Prime Minister Naoto Kan arrived in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium, to attend the 8th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM8).

In the morning of October 4, prior to the start of ASEM8, Prime Minister Kan held talks separately with Ms. Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Lee Myung-bak, President of the Republic of Korea (ROK), and Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, at a hotel in Brussels.

In the afternoon, Prime Minister Kan received a welcome from His Majesty King Albert II of the Kingdom of Belgium at the Royal Palace of Brussels, which was followed by an opening ceremony marking the start of ASEM8 gathering leaders and representatives of 46 countries and 2 organizations.
After the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Kan attended the first session and the working dinner, and exchanged views on the governance of the global economy. During the first session, the Prime Minister said, "As the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) chair of the year, Japan is resolved to contribute to world economic growth through the 'Growth Strategy,' which APEC will be formulating for the first time in its history. At the same time, in order to achieve collective growth amidst the deepening mutual interdependence between Asia and Europe, it is important to observe common rules of the international community and nurture resilient relationships of trust."

Also, Prime Minister Kan held talks with Dr. Angela Merkel, the Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, prior to the first session, and with Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic, after the first session, followed by the Japan-EU Summit with Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, and Mr. Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, President of the European Commission. After the working dinner, Prime Minister Kan met with Mr. Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China.