The top leaders from the Group of Seven major industrialized economies and Russia are considering using the Internet at their June summit in Denver to appeal for more efforts at all levels to preserve the environment, Japanese government sources said April 16.

The sources said the environment is expected to be high on the agenda at the annual summit meeting, where Russia will join the G-7 nations -- the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Japan -- in Colorado between June 20 and 22.

The idea of having the eight leaders utilize the Internet was originally proposed by Japan as a way to increase the public's awareness, in both industrialized and developing countries, of the need to protect the environment, the sources said. One Japanese government source said, "The G-7 nations and Russia have not yet reached an agreement on utilization of the Internet by their leaders from Denver." But another government source said, "We believe the Japanese proposal will be realized because no country has so far expressed particular opposition to it."