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by Koji Higuchi, Staff Writer

On May 10, the main schedule for the Hiroshima Summit of the G7 (Group of Seven industrialized nations) which the Japanese government will hold in Hiroshima City was revealed from interviews with relevant persons. Reflecting the intentions of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida who advocates for “a world without nuclear weapons,” the leaders of the G7 countries, including the three nuclear weapons states, the United States, the United Kingdom and France, will visit Peace Memorial Park, located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, for two hours on May 19, the first day of the summit. They will discuss the global economy, the situation in Ukraine and other issues during a total of nine sessions. Expanded meetings with invited countries, including South Korea and India, will also be held to deepen cooperation among the leaders of the participating countries.

On the first day, the leaders of the G7 countries will be met by Mr. Kishida at Peace Memorial Park. They will offer a wreath of flowers to the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims and visit the Peace Memorial Museum. At present, final adjustments are being made so the leaders will have an opportunity to partake in a dialogue with A-bomb survivors at the museum. In response to requests from the City of Hiroshima and Hiroshima Prefecture, the leaders are expected to remain in Peace Memorial Park for about two hours, which will include planting the seedling of an A-bombed cherry tree.

When Barack Obama visited Hiroshima as the first U.S. sitting president to do so, he spent about 50 minutes in Peace Memorial Park, of which he visited the museum for about 10 minutes. It is expected the G7 leaders will extend their visit at the museum.

On the first day of the discussions, the leaders will exchange their opinions about the global economy, the situation in Ukraine and other issues at the Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima, the main venue for the summit meeting, located in Minami Ward. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join the meeting online. The leaders will also visit Miyajima Island in Hatsukaichi City, where they will carry out more in-depth discussion about nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation as well as the situation in the Indo-Pacific Region.

On May 20, following the G7 leaders’ discussion about economic security issues, including strengthening the semiconductor supply chain (supply network), the invited countries will join the meeting. The expanded meetings will be held focusing on two themes: “Food, public health, development assistance, gender,” and “climate change.”

On May 21, the final day, the invited countries are expected to join the discussion. Then, Prime Minister Kishida is scheduled to issue a joint statement at a press conference and release a special document specifically focused on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. On that day, the leaders of Japan and South Korea will visit the Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of the A-bomb in Peace Memorial Park together. A summit meeting of Japan, the United States and South Korea is also scheduled. Mr. Kishida will also hold a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Prime Minister Kishida will arrive in Hiroshima on May 18, the day before the opening of the summit meeting, to hold bilateral talks with the representatives of the G7 countries at (RHIGA) Royal Hotel Hiroshima located in Naka Ward.

Keywords

G7 Summit Invited Countries
Countries the host country of the Summit of The Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations invites to the meeting as cooperation partner countries, reflecting the prioritized agenda items. Before the 2000 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit, Japan invited the leaders of developing countries, including South Africa and Thailand, to reflect their opinions. Since that time, expanded meetings between the leaders of the G7 countries and invited countries have taken hold and become a part of the summit framework. The Hiroshima Summit will invite the leaders of South Korea, Australia, India and other countries, emphasizing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. The heads of seven international organizations, including the United Nations, are also invited to participate. The head of Ukraine will also attend the meeting online.

(Originally published on May 11, 2023)