TOKYO (Bloomberg) — Finance ministers of the Group of Eight industrial nations will discuss hedge funds and the global economy at a meeting in Germany this week, Japanese Finance Minister Koji Omi said.It's necessary to consider the supervision of the industry under the principle of free-market economies, he said at a press conference today in Tokyo.

"We have to respect that various economic activities are going on under the principle," Omi said. "We also need to think about possible problems that could arise in the industry, and it's important to consider this issue in a well-balanced manner."

The hedge fund industry has more than tripled in the past decade to $1.5 trillion, spurring Germany to call for more regulation of the pools of capital. Their rapid growth has generated concern that the collapse of one or more sizeable funds could trigger a financial crisis.