Thousands of people demonstrated in northern Japan Saturday in advance
of next week's summit of leaders of the world's eight richest nations.
The
protesters gathered in the city of Sapporo to demand the Group of Eight
leaders take action on a number of issues, including soaring food
prices.
They also denounced the G8 itself for such ills as war, discrimination, poverty and global climate change.
Foreign activists, farmers and non-governmental organizations made up the ranks of the protesters.
Thousands of riot police were deployed along the march route. Officials say at least four people were arrested.
Sapporo
is the capital of Hokkaido Island. The G8 leaders will convene at a
nearby luxury resort on Monday for a three-day summit.
The G8 includes the United States, Japan, Russia, France, Britain, Canada, Italy and Germany.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
