Prime Minister Kishida shown meeting
recently with five of the G7 leaders, fromleft: H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron,President of the French Republic; H.E.
Ms. Giorgia Meloni, President of theCouncil of Ministers of the ItalianRepublic; the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdomof Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
the Right Honorable Justin Trudeau,
Prime Minister of Canada; theHonorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Presidentof the United States of America.

KEVIN DIETSCH /GETTY IMAGESPM KISHIDA’S TOURLAYS GROUNDWORKFOR SUCCESSFUL G7 SUMMIT

Assuming this year’s G7 Presidency, Japan will host the Summit in Hiroshima from May 19 to 21.
To confirm cooperation for the success of the Summit, and to confirm further collaboration between
like-minded countries by deepening security cooperation with these countries, Prime Minister
KISHIDA Fumio visited five of them in January. At the Summit, Japan will lead the discussion as
chair and demonstrate to the world the G7’s strong determination to uphold the international order
based on the rule of law.
Ahead of the G7 Summit to be held in Hiroshima
in May, Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio visited fivecountries—France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada,
and the United States—from January 9 to 15. The prime
minister spoke with the head of state of each country andheld discussions concerning a wide range of topics, suchas regional and international affairs, including Ukraine,
as well as bilateral relations. The prime minister also
explained Japan’s way of thinking under the G7 Presidency
and received the understanding and support of his fellow
heads of state. At the end of his tour, Prime Minister
Kishida held a press conference, saying of the outcomeof the trip, “we succeeded in reconfirming that the G7
will unite and act in cooperation so as to fully defend theinternational order, which is based on the rule of law.”
The first stop on the tour was France, where Prime
Minister Kishida met with French President EmmanuelMacron. The two leaders concurred that the next Japan-France “2+2” meeting should be held in the first half of
this year. They also exchanged views on Pacific Island
countries and confirmed that cooperation between Japanand France would be further promoted, based at the newconsular office of Japan in Nouméa in New Caledoniathat opened in January. The two leaders furthermore
welcomed the Japan-France Comprehensive Maritime
Dialogue, held on February 2.
In Italy, Prime Minister Kishida met with Prime
Minister Giorgia Meloni. The two leaders agreed toelevate the relationship between Japan and Italy to thatof “strategic partners” based on deepening bilateral
cooperation, including the trilateral joint developmentof next-generation fighter jets among Japan, Italy, and theUnited Kingdom that was announced at the end of lastyear.
The next stop of the tour was the United Kingdom,
where Prime Minister Kishida met with British Prime

Minister Rishi Sunak. The two leaders signed the JapanUK Reciprocal Access Agreement, a new platform fordefense cooperation between the two countries. The
agreement is expected to further promote bilateral
security and defense cooperation.
In Canada, in a dialog with Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister Kishida expressed hisintention to work together toward the realization of aFree and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) through the steady
implementation of the “Japan-Canada Action Plan
contributing to a free and open Indo-Pacific region,”
which was announced last October.
At the Japan-U.S. summit meeting between Prime
Minister Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden, the twoleaders confirmed that the national security strategies ofboth countries were aligned with each other, renewed
their determination to further strengthen the deterrence
and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. Alliance,
and issued a joint statement by the two countries. The
two leaders will also strengthen Japan-U.S. security
cooperation across a broader range of areas extending to
the economy and technology, such as the strengtheningof supply chain resilience and cooperation in protecting
critical technologies such as semiconductors.
Since this year’s Summit will be hosted by the sole Asian
G7 member, Japan intends to discuss Indo-Pacific regional
affairs in depth and reconfirm further cooperation toward
the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”
The most prominent issue ahead of the G7 Hiroshima
Summit is Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. At theHiroshima Summit, member states will continue todemonstrate the will to uphold the international order
based on the rule of law, and will maintain and strengthen

both stringent sanctions against Russia and staunch
support for Ukraine. Japan, as the holder of the G7
Presidency, will lead the discussions and demonstrate acommitment to peace.

Hiroshima, where the G7 Summit will be held, is a beautiful city surroundedby lush green mountains and the quiet and peaceful Seto Inland Sea.
Hiroshima is one of only two cities in the world to have been exposed to theatomic bomb. The Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, which is preserved totestify the devastation of the bombing, has been inscribed on the World
Heritage List. HIROSHIMA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

Response following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, updated on January
27, 2023, posted on the official website of the Prime Minister’s Office.