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Japan beefs up security for G-8 summit

HOKKAIDO, Japan (UPI) -- Japanese officials say they're mobilizing about 20,000 police officers around upcoming Group of Eight summit site in Hokkaido, bracing for possible violence.

The leaders of the G-8 nations begin arriving in Japan Sunday, and in the run-up to the meeting security is being tightened not only in Hokkaido but also in Tokyo and other major cities, Kyodo News reported. The country's Air Self-Defense Force is flying reconnaissance aircraft near Hokkaido to prevent terrorist attacks from the air. The summit venue at Lake Toya is on top of a hill.

Activists planning to protest against the summit have set up campsites in Hokkaido that can accommodate about 2,000 to 3,000 people, Kyodo said.

The summit, hosted by Japan Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, will attract heads of state not only from the G-8 countries but also 14 other nations, making it the largest-ever G-8 summit since the group began meeting in 1975. Stabilizing the world's overheated oil market will top the leaders' agenda.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 07/05/2008

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