The Group of Eight richest nations is likely to pledge at the upcoming summit to take the lead in efforts to halve emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050, a newspaper said yesterday.

Leaders of the G8 -- France, Germany, Britain, Canada, Japan, Italy, Russia and the United States -- are to start a three-day meeting Monday in the northern Japanese spa report ofToyako.

At the previous summit last July, host country Germany overcame fierce US resistance and coaxed the rich nations' club into agreeing to "consider seriously" the goal of at least halving worldwide emissions by

2050.

For the Toyako summit, negotiations are in the final stages for a leaders' declaration saying "the G8 will take the lead in making efforts to halve" emissions or something similar, the Yomiuri Shimbun said.

Europe and Japan want to upgrade the expression "consider" in Germany to "agree" but the United States has been seek-ingan accord that would include China, India and other major emitters, Japan's best-selling newspapersaid.

Another major daily, the Asahi Shimbun, reported yesterday that developed countries, including the United States, are to agree to set their own mid-term targets in cuttinggas emissions.

The developed nations' pledge for country-by-country mid-term targets will be in a leaders’ statement of 16 countries, including the G8 and developing countries, to be held on Wednesday, the newspapersaid.

Japan's environment minister. Ichiro Kamoshita, said Sunday that Japan was unlikely to volunteer to declare its mid-term target at theupcomingsummit.

"We should weigh this against our national interest. We will have heated discussions on midterm targets from now,” he told public broadcaster NHK.

Japan has vowed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 60-80 percent by 2050 but said it would only announce a midterm goal next year.