TOYAKO, Hokkaido — The three-day Group of Eight summit kicked off Monday in Toyako with Japan's leadership of the G8 being tested by a raft of new global challenges.
The Toyako summit, which Japan is chairing, is the largest-ever G8 summit in terms of the number of participating states, as seven African countries and an additional seven emerging economies, including China and India, were invited to outreach sessions.
Monday's outreach sessions were devoted to African development and other Africa-related topics, including soaring food and oil prices, which have had a particularly strong impact on people in poor states.