Japanese Prime Minister: "Next Year's G7 Summit to Be Held in Hiroshima in May"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that, as the chair of next year's Group of Seven (G7) summit, he will hold the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, Japan.

According to Japan's Kyodo News, Prime Minister Kishida informed the participating leaders at the G7 summit held on the 28th (local time) at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria, Germany, that next year's G7 meeting will take place between May 19 and 21, with Hiroshima as the venue.

Prime Minister Kishida explained the reason for choosing Hiroshima as the host city, saying, "As the prime minister of Japan, the only country to have suffered atomic bombing in war, I believe there is no place more suitable than Hiroshima to demonstrate a commitment to peace." Hiroshima, the city where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, during World War II, is also Kishida's electoral district.

With the increasing threat of nuclear weapon use by Russia, which invaded Ukraine, Prime Minister Kishida is expected to appeal for a world without nuclear weapons by holding the G7 summit in the city that suffered atomic bombing.

Earlier, when U.S. President Joe Biden visited Japan last month for a U.S.-Japan summit, Kishida also introduced plans to hold the G7 summit in Hiroshima. Japan will serve as the chair country of the G7 next year, which includes the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Canada.