Global circumstances surrounding the Group of Eight summit have changed greatly, making an expanded meeting with emerging economies China and India more important than ever, according to the top Japanese coordinator for the July G8 gathering in Hokkaido.

"The summit this time is very different from those in the past. It's very tough," said Deputy Foreign Minister Masaharu Kohno, who works directly under Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. "Nowadays, the G8 countries (alone) cannot decide everything."

In a recent interview with The Japan Times, Kohno said the change involving the annual summit is a "reflection of the reality" of the current world.