Hiroshima Summit, May 19-21: Visit to Peace Memorial Museum by all G7 leaders, including President Biden, highly probable
Jan. 24, 2023
by Koji Higuchi, Staff Writer
The Japanese government has been making arrangements for the leaders of The Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum when the G7 summit is held in the city in May. Several Japanese government officials said before January 23 that the government obtained approval from the government of the United States. If President Joe Biden visits the museum, he would be the second sitting U.S. president to do so, following Barack Obama who visited the museum in the city’s Naka Ward in 2016.
As the U.S., the nuclear superpower and the country that dropped the atomic bombs, has given its informal consent, which the Japanese government had considered the biggest hurdle to overcome, there is a strong probability that all the leaders of the G7 nations will visit the museum together. The Japanese government is also making arrangements with the governments of Germany, Italy, and Canada, in addition to the United Kingdom and France, which also possess nuclear weapons. There is a plan for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who represents Hiroshima, to guide them to the museum on May 19, the first day of the summit.
The prime minister announced during his fist press conference of the year on January 4 that nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation would be one of the themes of the Hiroshima summit. He believes that a visit to the museum, which conveys the horrors of the atomic bombing, is essential for the leaders to deepen their discussions of a world without nuclear weapons. Negotiations will also be held to realize a meeting between the leaders and A-bomb survivors, which has been requested by the Hiroshima Prefectural and Hiroshima City governments.
The government is also believed to be internally considering the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an online meeting. Mr. Zelenskyy participated online in discussions at the G7 summit held in Elmau, southern Germany, in June 2022.
(Originally published on January 24, 2023)
The Japanese government has been making arrangements for the leaders of The Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum when the G7 summit is held in the city in May. Several Japanese government officials said before January 23 that the government obtained approval from the government of the United States. If President Joe Biden visits the museum, he would be the second sitting U.S. president to do so, following Barack Obama who visited the museum in the city’s Naka Ward in 2016.
As the U.S., the nuclear superpower and the country that dropped the atomic bombs, has given its informal consent, which the Japanese government had considered the biggest hurdle to overcome, there is a strong probability that all the leaders of the G7 nations will visit the museum together. The Japanese government is also making arrangements with the governments of Germany, Italy, and Canada, in addition to the United Kingdom and France, which also possess nuclear weapons. There is a plan for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who represents Hiroshima, to guide them to the museum on May 19, the first day of the summit.
The prime minister announced during his fist press conference of the year on January 4 that nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation would be one of the themes of the Hiroshima summit. He believes that a visit to the museum, which conveys the horrors of the atomic bombing, is essential for the leaders to deepen their discussions of a world without nuclear weapons. Negotiations will also be held to realize a meeting between the leaders and A-bomb survivors, which has been requested by the Hiroshima Prefectural and Hiroshima City governments.
The government is also believed to be internally considering the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an online meeting. Mr. Zelenskyy participated online in discussions at the G7 summit held in Elmau, southern Germany, in June 2022.
(Originally published on January 24, 2023)
