As part of the government's plan to boost Japan's reputation among the world's journalists, it has opened an International Media Center (IMC) in Ise, Mie Prefecture, for media members covering the Group of Seven summit.
Despite this apparent hospitality toward the press, however, the government is denying them, ostensibly for security reasons, what they need most: access to the meeting that begins Thursday.
According to the Foreign Ministry, about 6,000 journalists and other media-related people have registered for entry to the IMC, which takes up all of the massive Sun Arena stadium and its attached sports facilities.