Over the next six months, Japan will host a series of meetings of the Group of Eight countries, culminating in the Leaders' Summit at Lake Toya, Hokkaido, in July. Along with leaders of the G8 — Japan, the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Russia — the European Commission president and the leader of the country holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union will also be attending.
Together, G8 members account for two-thirds of the global economy, 72 percent of all military expenditures and about 96 percent of the world's nuclear weapons.
What is the purpose of the Group of Eight summits?