SAPPORO, Japan (AFP) — Four people were arrested as Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda arrived on the northern island of Hokkaido on Sunday to chair a three-day summit of the Group of Eight powers.
Fukuda's government airplane landed at Chitose airport from Tokyo and he switched to a helicopter to fly to Toyako, a secluded mountain resort where leaders will start their summit on Monday.
Ahead of the summit, Fukuda will hold talks with US President George W. Bush later on Sunday with issues expected to include North Korea's nuclear programme, climate change and the food price crisis.
Thousands of protesters hit the streets Saturday in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo, the closest major city to the lakeside resort of Toyako where world leaders are to meet from Monday.
The protests were mostly peaceful, although police shattered the windows of a van that refused to stop as it went through traffic.
Authorities mobilised thousands of riot police who arrested four Japanese nationals -- three demonstrators and one television crew member for the Reuters news agency, police said.
"The television crew member kicked a police officer," said a local police spokesman. "The other three are demonstrators including a man who drove a van leading a group of protesters."
Reuters said it was sending a lawyer to assist the detained cameraman, Masahiro Koike.
"Reuters is investigating the situation and trying to obtain the release," said Shumpei Tachi, a spokesman for Reuters Japan.
Smaller protests were expected Sunday after the previous day's gathering, which brought together some 5,000 union activists, anti-war demonstrators, farmers and students.
But the rally was relatively peaceful compared with anti-G8 summit protests in recent years.
Violent anti-globalisation rallies have marred past summits of the G8, which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
Last year militant activists threw Molotov cocktails and stones during demonstrations in Germany that drew tens of thousands of protesters.
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