Birds of a feather will flock to L'Aquila, Italy, for the Group of Eight summit beginning Wednesday, with premiers in attendance including embattled British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the scandal-ridden Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi.

But the lamest duck of all may be Prime Minister Taro Aso, for whom the summit will likely be his final moment in the sun.

"I look forward to the prime minister making strong statements on economic policies on the G8 stage, illustrating how some of Japan's stimulus packages have begun showing effect," political analyst Eiken Itagaki said.