BERLIN (Kyodo) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Germany on Tuesday to attend a Japan-European Union summit in Berlin and make his debut at the Group of Eight nations summit in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm, where global warming and Africa are expected to top the agenda.
Abe, beset by domestic scandals including the recent suicide of a Cabinet minister, is set to raise the North Korean nuclear arms, missile and abduction issues and seek confirmations of support from his G8 counterparts in hopes of salvaging his falling support ratings ahead of the crucial House of Councilors election next month.
With Japan set to host next year's G8 summit, the Heiligendamm meeting will test Abe's diplomatic clout as he tries to demonstrate leadership by seeking a consensus over a new international framework to fight global warming beyond the 2012 time frame of the Kyoto Protocol.