As Hamada Yasukazu, former minister of defense of Japan, explained in the document “Defense of Japan 2022,” the world is at a moment of historic change: “The international community is facing its greatest challenge since the Second World War.” For Japan, the regional context could not be more complicated: Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory marked … Read more
Advertisement China’s foreign ministry was rightly outraged by the G-7’s communique from last month’s summit in Hiroshima, Japan. A section titled “China” reiterated a number of the West’s anti-China cliches, suggesting Beijing was not committed to peace and equality in its global development goals. It is thus ironic that, after reading the entire 19,000-plus-word communique, … Read more
Magazine “The G-7 has exemplified Japan’s identity as a liberal democracy as well as serving as a valuable tool to sustain the economic growth of the global economy.” Advertisement For 2023, Japan holds the rotating presidency of the G-7 grouping (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The highlight of … Read more
Interviews | Diplomacy | East Asia “The fact that the summit took place in Hiroshima in the middle of Russia-Ukraine war (in which Russia has not been hesitant to use nuclear intimidation) was significant.” G-7 leaders pose for a photo after offering flowers at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, May 19, 2023. Credit: Prime Minister’s Office of Japan Advertisement … Read more
Tokyo Report | Diplomacy | East Asia As Japan prepares to release treated water from the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, it battles harsh criticism from South Korea. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, May 21, 2023. … Read more
Advertisement On May 21, the G-7 Summit concluded its three-day meeting in Hiroshima, Japan. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio chose his hometown – the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear bombing – as the host city with the determination to promote a world without nuclear weapons. At the summit, the G-7 leaders issued … Read more
Advertisement There was much for Beijing to dislike in the publicly-announced results of the G-7 Summit held in Hiroshima from May 19 to 21. In addition to taking strategic and political positions adverse to China, the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union jointly affirmed … Read more
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (third from left) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio (second from right) on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, May 21, 2023. Credit: Prime Minister’s Office of Japan Advertisement No recent G-7 summit was filled with as much excitement as the latest gathering in Hiroshima. As G-7 … Read more
Advertisement World leaders landed Thursday for a Group of Seven meeting in Hiroshima, the site of the world’s first atomic bomb attack, with Russia’s war in Ukraine expected to be high on the agenda. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio kicked off his summit diplomacy by meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden after his arrival at … Read more
Advertisement Two facts unabashedly stare humankind in the face. First, that history repeats itself, and second, that we should never underestimate the addictive power of human stupidity. There is a third fact: We are no longer bound by global solidarity but by a deep divisiveness that threatens to plunge us into chaos and tear us … Read more