World leaders arrived at Hiroshima, Japan on Thursday, May 18, 2023 for a Group of Seven meeting. Security is tight in Hiroshima, the site of the world’s first atomic bomb attack, with thousands of police deployed at numerous points throughout the city.
The three-day summit opens on Friday, May 19, 2023. The G-7 includes Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as the European Union.
Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida commenced his summit diplomacy by meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden after his arrival at a nearby military base.
In opening remarks, Kishida told Biden that the Japan-U.S. alliance is the “very foundation of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.” “We very much welcome that the cooperation has evolved in leaps and bounds,” he iterated.
Biden remarked, “When our countries stand together, we stand stronger, and I believe the whole world is safer when we do.”
Kishida is slated to have discussions with British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak a bit later in the day. Sunak arrived in Japan earlier on Thursday and paid a visit to the JS Izumo, a ship that can carry helicopters and fighter jets able to take off and land vertically.
According to Sunak’s office, the British Prime Minister and Kishida are expected to announce a series of new agreements on issues including defense; trade and investment; technology; and climate change during their bilateral meeting.
G-7 Leaders To Discuss Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine
White House National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan divulged that there will be “discussions about the battlefield” in Ukraine and on the “state of play on sanctions and the steps that the G-7 will collectively commit to on enforcement in particular.”
G-7 leaders and invited guests from other countries are also expected to discuss how to deal with China’s growing assertiveness and military buildup as concerns rise that it could try to seize Taiwan by force, sparking a wider conflict. China claims the self-governing island as its own.
During the meeting in Hiroshima, Kishida seeks to emphasize the risks of nuclear proliferation. Leaders are expected to visit a memorial park that commemorates the 1945 atomic bombing by the U.S. that destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people.
The leaders are due to discuss efforts to strengthen the global economy and address rising prices that are squeezing families and government budgets around the world, particularly in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
A host of other countries have been invited to take part in the summit. The G-7 hopes to strengthen its members’ ties with countries outside the world’s richest industrialized nations, while garnering support for efforts like isolating Russia.
Among those participating as guests are leaders from Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia and South Korea. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine is expected to join by video link.
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting the leaders of the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for a two-day summit in the Chinese city of Xi’an which begins on Thursday, May 18, 2023.
