The writer is the Prime Minister of Japan
When I visited Ukraine in March and met with President Zelensky, I expressed to him my commitment to maintaining firm G-7 unity for tough sanctions against Russia and our strong support for his country. At my invitation, he will participate in the G7 summit discussions in Hiroshima this weekend.
Japan pledged $7.6 billion in aid to Ukraine. Some people may ask why a geographically distant country would make such an obligation. This is because Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not only a matter of European security, but also a challenge to the free and open international order based on the rule of law. Today’s Ukraine may become tomorrow’s East Asia. We are determined to uphold the rule of law, and resolutely reject the rule of force.
Today, the world is facing a complex set of crises, including climate change, pandemics, and geopolitical crises. At the G7 summit, I will discuss with my counterparts regional situations such as Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region, including East Asia, particularly China and North Korea. We will also discuss the global economy, including food and energy security; economic flexibility and economic security; nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation; Digital technologies and global issues such as climate change, health and development.
As the holder of the G7 presidency, Japan would like to take the lead in responding to these multiple crises. While each member’s interests may differ in addressing these challenges, the G-7 is determined to respond in a unified manner to any challenge to the international order based on the rule of law on which we depend, wherever it occurs. This unwavering determination is the most important message of the G7 Hiroshima summit.
The Indo-Pacific region is expected to be the center of gravity for the international community in the future, with the promise of more dynamic economic growth and innovation. However, it also faces emerging challenges affecting the international community as a whole, including unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, non-market practices and economic coercion, as well as the question of how economic growth is compatible with climate. changes.
In March this year, the United Kingdom announced the update of the integrated review of its security, defense, development and foreign policies, and the accession negotiations on the comprehensive and advanced agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership reached a substantial conclusion. By demonstrating its commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, the UK is showing that it fully understands that peace and prosperity there is in its own interest. This permanent link with this region is strategically and geopolitically clever. It is encouraging that the UK is looking decades into the future and making its investments with a long-term perspective.
This is not just about securing its economic interests such as trade, or protecting supply chains for semiconductors and vital resources. International cooperation on global issues, which underpins the national interests of the UK and Europe as a whole, requires efforts that go beyond regional borders.
At the same time, addressing the challenges the world is facing today requires the efforts of the entire international community, including the so-called Global South. As the G7, we would like to strengthen our reach. That is why I recently visited Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique, and invited Australia, Brazil, Comoros, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea and Vietnam to the Hiroshima summit for discussions.
Whether it is the situation in Ukraine or climate change, it is important that we let the so-called global south decide to deepen cooperation with the G7 by choice, not by imposition, if we want to get cooperation from all. The international community. The key is that the international community, including the G7, respond decisively and resolutely to situations like Ukraine wherever they occur. Moreover, it is also important for the G7 to show solidarity with weak countries and help them shoulder their burdens.
From this perspective, I presented a new plan for a free and open Indo-Pacific when I visited India in March. I have declared support for the growth and economic resilience of the countries of the Indo-Pacific by establishing a free and fair economic system, strengthening connectivity, including through infrastructure development, and ensuring maritime peace and stability. Through dialogue with other countries, we hope to lead the international community away from division and toward cooperation.
The G-7 Summit to be held in Hiroshima is of particular importance. In the 77 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, humanity has not used nuclear weapons. We must not ignore this historic achievement.
Nuclear weapons must never be used again, and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, including threats of nuclear weapons like those made by Russia, is totally unacceptable. There is no better place than Hiroshima to send the message of moving towards a “world without nuclear weapons”. I look forward to deepening discussions with the G7 leaders to promote realistic and practical efforts in this regard.
It is crucial that the G-7 take the lead when the world faces a complex set of crises. Japan is determined to exercise leadership while holding the presidency of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations, and cooperation from every member of the Group of Seven is indispensable.