Japan’s Top 11 Concerns at the G-8 Summit

Japan's Prime Minister Abe is in Germany for the G-8 Summit.

The country's top politician has a lot on his mind.

As do the Japanese who will be watching their number one politician. 

1. It will be his frist G-8 Summit and he won't know where to stand.

2. He will attend a Japan-European Union summit in Berlin prior to heading to Heiligendamm.

3. The focus is expect to be on global warming and Africa. Japan is supposed to be the leader in the fight against global warming.

4. PM Abe will want to talk about the North Korean nuclear, missile and abduction issues and nobody else will join in.

5. Japan will host the G-8 Summit next year.

6. PM Abe is expected to be a leader in forming a consensus" over a new international framework to fight global warming beyond the 2012 time frame of the Kyoto Protocol."

PM Abe will be hanging out with his counterparts from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States. He will have bilateral meetings with

7. U.S. President George W. Bush and

8. new French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Abe will also meet with

9. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and with

10. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on Friday.

11. Finally, Abe MAY meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is among leaders of five emerging nations who have been invited to take part in an outreach dialogue with the G-8 powers.

That's an awful lot on one's plate, no?

And the Japanese characteristically are not good at impromptu visits and happenings.  It will be interesting to see how the PM performs.