Japan to Host G8 Summit in Hokkaido in July

Japan will play host to the G8 Summit at Lake Toya spa resort in Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido in July. The Windsor Hotel Toya will be welcoming the leaders of the eight nations as well as members of the European Union.

Lake Toya-ko

The Group of Eight (G8) Summit will this year be held in Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido from 7 to 9 July. In the past, Japan has assumed the G8 Presidency and hosted the G8 Summit four times, namely, in 1979, 1986, 1993, and 2000. In 2008, Japan will assume the Presidency for the fifth time and will hold the Summit in Hokkaido at Lake Toya-ko.

Hokkaido is situated in the northern part of the Japanese archipelago at about the same latitude as such major world cities as Chicago, Montreal and Rome. The Toyako area, where the G8 Summit is to be held, is one of Hokkaido's most popular leisure destinations. Its climate is mild and it is rich in nature and beautiful scenery.

The venue for the G8 Summit in Hokkaido will be Lake Toya-ko, a popular lakeside spa resort. LakeToya-ko, situated in the south-western part of Hokkaido, belongs to the Shikotsu-ToyaNational Park. The lake owes its distinctive doughnut shape to volcanic activity. It formed after land collapsed into a caldera and later filled with water. Proudly standing near the lake with white smoke rising above it is an active volcano called Mt. Showa Shinzan. The volcano was elevated when the ground cracked during a huge earthquake in 1943. Toya-ko-onsen hot spring, which stretches out along the 43-kilometer diameter crater lake, is one of the best spa resorts in Hokkaido.

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