HIROSHIMA, Japan — World leaders are gathering at the Group of Seven summit in the western Japanese city of Hiroshima over the next few days.
Joining the seven nations and the European Union will be several significant Asia-Pacific countries — notably India, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam and Australia.
The talks in Hiroshima are likely to focus on the Ukraine war, the growing dominance of China and the threat to Taiwan. Related to this are issues surrounding supply chains, and economic and energy security. Plus, the attendance of India — a country that chairs the G-20 this year — is likely to shine a spotlight on the so-called Global South, or developing world.
For the latest on this important gathering, see our G-7 in Japan coverage.
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Why Japan’s Kishida chose Hiroshima as the G-7 venue
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And here’s the latest (Japan time):
7:55 p.m. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the U.K.’s Rishi Sunak begin a working dinner, as the two countries look to boost cooperation in semiconductors and other areas.
7:25 p.m. In opening remarks, Biden said that the two countries face one of the most complex security environments in recent history. “When our countries stand together, we stand stronger, and I believe the whole world is safer when we do,” he said.
Kishida said he was very happy to receive “Joe” in Hiroshima. “The Japan-U.S. alliance is the bedrock of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” he said, adding that the bilateral relationship is advancing in leaps and bounds, not only in security but in various fields.
Kishida welcomed an investment in Hiroshima by U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology and that the Japanese government will steadfastly support it as a good example of Japan-U.S. semiconductor cooperation.
6:20 p.m. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold a bilateral summit on Sunday, in addition to a trilateral meeting the same day with U.S. President Joe Biden, Yoon’s office announces.
This will be the two leaders’ third bilateral summit since March, following meetings in Tokyo and Seoul. Yoon took office last year and has made diplomatic rapprochement with Japan a key foreign policy objective, arguing that the two U.S. allies ought to cooperate toward shared economic and security interests.
Seoul-Tokyo ties have for decades been plagued by disagreements over World War II-era history. On Sunday, Yoon and Kishida are also set to make a joint visit to the memorial in Hiroshima to those who lost their lives in the 1945 atomic bombing of the city, which includes an installment dedicated to Korean victims.
South Korea is not a G-7 member state but was invited by Japan to attend as a guest. While in Hiroshima, Yoon will also hold bilateral meetings on Friday with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. He will then hold bilateral summits on Saturday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
6:00 p.m. Kishida and Biden shake hands and pose for photos before moving to a meeting room at the Rihga Royal Hotel in Hiroshima. They take their seats at a long table, flanked by their aides.
5:09 p.m. Biden lands in Hiroshima, emerging from his helicopter and hopping into the Beast, as the presidential car is known. The motorcade starts rolling a few minutes later, taking him to a bilateral meeting with Japan’s Kishida.
Traveling with the president’s motorcade are Rahm Emmanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, Jake Sullivan, national security adviser, and a host of other officials.
4:17 p.m. Kishida and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni begin bilateral talks in Hiroshima.
4:05 p.m. Biden arrives in the rain at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.
3:00 p.m. Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak inspected the Izumo, a helicopter carrier being transformed into a light aircraft carrier. The ministry said the visit “symbolizes the close and strong relationship between Japan and the U.K.”
1:00 p.m. U.S. President Joe Biden will arrive at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, on Thursday afternoon, the White House announces. He will then head by helicopter to Hiroshima, where he will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Kishida.
Other leaders are expected to arrive later Thursday.
12:10 p.m. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives in Hiroshima.
Police begin to restrict entry into Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will lead several events at the park, located at the center of the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack, including greeting the leaders there on Friday.
11:00 a.m. As leaders of rich democracies gather in Hiroshima, China is this week hosting its first face-to-face summit meeting with the leaders of five Central Asian countries in Xi’an.
Wednesday, May 17
6:00 p.m. Nikkei Asia hosts a panel on what leaders are likely to discuss at the G-7 summit. Watch a video of the webinar.