TOKYO: The biggest focus at the upcoming summit of the Group of Seven major democracies in Hiroshima, western Japan, will be on whether G7 leaders will be able to deliver unified messages on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s growing assertiveness.

Also closely watched is whether Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio, who hosts the May 19-21 summit, will be able to get the leaders to send out a strong message toward realizing a world without nuclear weapons from the city on which an atomic bomb was dropped nearly eight decades ago.

“Diplomatic outcomes we’ve made so far will feed discussions at the summit and help the G7 nations unite and strengthen ties with the Global South, at a time when the international community is reaching a historical turning point,” Kishida said at a press conference during a trip to Mozambique Thursday.

A joint statement issued by the G7 foreign ministers after their meeting in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, last month urged Russia to withdraw all forces from Ukraine “immediately and unconditionally,” while reaffirming their commitment to intensifying sanctions on Russia and continuing supporting Ukraine.

As Russia is showing no signs of withdrawing, Kishida plans to reaffirm these commitments at the summit and call for maintaining a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

Kishida also hopes to see the G7 nations come into line in preventing third countries from supplying weapons to Russia and keeping Moscow from escaping sanctions.

Japan is negative about imposing a near-total ban on exports to Russia, a plan that is reportedly being considered among the G7 countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is slated to join the summit online.

On China, there are concerns that the G7 will not be able to come into line. In early April, French President Emmanuel Macron stirred controversy by saying that Europe should not be a follower of the United States amid tensions between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to hold a G7 summit in Asia, Japan will focus the leaders’ discussions on Indo-Pacific affairs. Kishida hopes that the G7 will demonstrate their opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force anywhere in the world, in an effort to counter China’s ambitions.

Another topic at the summit is enhancing cooperation with Global South emerging and developing countries.

The conflict in Ukraine has highlighted differences between the G7 countries and Global South nations suffering from soaring food and energy prices. In order to spread the importance of the rule of law beyond the G7, Kishida has invited leaders of eight non-G7 countries, including India and Comoros, to the summit.

Japan is considering a plan for the G7 leaders to issue a declaration focusing on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, a document designed for the seven nations, including nuclear powers, to emphasize the importance of the continued nonuse of nuclear weapons.

Realizing a world without nuclear weapons is the lifework of Kishida, a politician elected from a constituency in Hiroshima, one of the two Japanese cities attacked with U.S. atomic bombs in August 1945, in the closing days of World War II.

Economic security and climate change are also expected to be on the agenda of the summit. The G7 leaders will also discuss generative artificial intelligence tools.

Jiji Press