Tokyo's No Star Line-Up

If misery loves company, leaders attending the annual Group of Seven summit $ in Japan this week ought to feel right at home, for a sadder collection of bruises and black eyes would be hard to find. From John Major of Britain to Kiichi Miyazawa of Japan, the heads of the world's richest and most powerful democracies have been chewed up in a grinder of popular discontent.

The G-7 summit has an important script -- coordinating economic policies, stabilizing Russia and rescuing free trade -- but the actors seem far from up to their roles. Says foreign policy analyst Michael Mandelbaum,...