miki yamamoto has the analysis of the event from the media center. >> naoki, because this summit was the first in asia in years, there was a special focus on the region's issues. what specifically did the japanese government want to discuss? >> you're right. generally, g7 meetings center around european and north american concerns but this time prime minister shinzo abe succeeded in talking about asian security issues. one of those issues was north korea and its nuclear and missile programs. it's crucial for nearby japan. in the joint declaration, the leaders condemned north korea's pursuit of them. the leaders demand pyongyang comply fully with u.n. security council resolutions. and they are also urging it to address human rights concerns including past abductions of foreign nationals. >> and maritime security in asia has also been a big concern. how did leaders address that? >> well, in the joint declaration, the g7 leaders expressed concern about the situation in the south china sea. the statement doesn't mention china, but the country has territorial disputes in those waters. the

i'm miki yamamoto in ise-shima. we continue our special coverage on the g7 summit. leaders are here to discuss a range of global issues such as terrorism, the refugee crisis, maritime security and conditions in north korea and ukraine. they started with the topic which japanese prime minister shinzo abe says is the most important, the global economy. they discussed ways to maintain sustainable growth, and abe spoke about his concerns. he said commodity prices for things like food and raw materials have dropped by more than half since 2014. he said the last time there was a similar drop was during the 2008 financial crisis. abe also showed data suggesting that investments in emerging economies decreased last year for the first time since the crisis. he said the world economy is at a turning point and there is a risk of another economic crisis if countries fail to take appropriate measures. the prime minister has been advocating the importance of fiscal stimulus to boost demand. but some member countries prioritize fiscal discipline and are being cautious about boosti