Recent G8 summits have not been kind to rabble-rousers. Ever since street violence marred the 2001 meeting in Genoa, Italy, and terrorists attacked the US that same year, summit organisers have swept their charges off to ever more remote locations. Islands, forests and highland retreats have been popular.

At the Windsor hotel in Hokkaido, G8 leaders will be shielded from anyone with a disruptive agenda – terrorists, sure, but also activist groups and legitimate protesters. Non-governmental organisations, which hold views on everything from climate change to landmine clearance, fear they will struggle to be heard.