Australia urges G8 to apply "blow-torch" to OPEC

SYDNEY, June 8 (Reuters) - Australia's prime minister urged G8 nations on Sunday to "apply the blow-torch" to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and force the world's top crude-oil producers to increase production.

Kevin Rudd, facing voter anger over rising fuel prices, said before leaving on a visit to Japan, which is hosting a G8 summit next month, that he would lobby his Japanese counterpart, and write to other G8 leaders, to urge them to put pressure on OPEC.

"OPEC needs to open the production lines to a greater extent (and) increase global oil supply ...," Rudd told Channel Ten TV in an interview.

He was due later on Sunday to fly to Japan to meet Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

"The G8 provides the opportunity to apply the blow-torch to the OPEC organisation and it's time that happened," he added.

G8 leaders are to meet on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido on July 7-9 against the backdrop of global alarm over rising oil prices. Crude rocketed more than $10 to a new high above $139 a barrel on Friday, up 44 percent so far this year.

Meeting in Japan ahead of the summit, energy officials from top consumer nations Japan, the United States, China, India and South Korea called on producers on Saturday to boost investment, but stopped short of urging OPEC to immediately pump more crude.

Rudd's four-day visit to Japan is his first major trip to the country since taking power last November.

(Reporting by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Richard Balmforth)