At G-7, Japan to promote 'nuclear-free world,' says prime minister

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ahead of the three-day G-7 summit beginning Thursday, Japan has stressed on the need for a "nuclear-free world."

To achieve this target, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for “concrete efforts."

"Publicizing nuclear strike realities is key for disarmament," Kishida told a news conference.

The G-7, an informal grouping of seven of the world's advanced economies, comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US as well as the European Union.

Referring to China's expanding influence in the Pacific and Russia's attack on Ukraine, Kishida stated that the G-7 will issue a “solid message” against attempts to forcefully change the status quo.

“The summit, addressing topics ranging from energy and food security to climate change, should underscore global collaboration,” he said.

In addition to the G7 countries, Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Vietnam were invited as guests to the summit.

The summit will be held in Hiroshima, a provincial-level city on Japan’s main island Honshu.

Kishida said he will host visiting leaders at the Peace Memorial Park, a site dedicated to honoring the victims of the 1945 atomic bomb.

The US dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima – the site of the world's first atomic bombing on Aug. 6, 1945, and then Nagasaki, which resulted in the deaths of at least 140,000 people by the end of that year. The dead include more than 20,000 Koreans.

Kishida who has been elected from Hiroshima, his hometown, drew attention by choosing the city as a meeting place for the G-7 summit.

​​​​​​​- China urges Japan against being ‘complicit in economic coercion’

Meanwhile, China has asked the G-7 members to urge the US to "stop raising the debt ceiling to avoid default, correct aggressive monetary policies, and prevent transferring domestic risks globally."

Reminding Japan of Plaza Accord from the 1980s, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said: "the US has been pressuring certain nations to detach their economies from China, imposing technological and scientific barriers, and suppressing Chinese companies."

"These actions go beyond fair competition and constitute a significant infringement upon market principles and World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations," Wang told reporters in Beijing on Monday.

The Plaza Accord was a 1985 agreement among the G-5 nations of France, Germany, the UK, the US, and Japan. The goal of the Plaza Accord was to weaken the US dollar in order to reduce the mounting US trade deficit.

"If the G-7 countries genuinely prioritize economic security, they must swiftly identify the parties responsible for the Nord Stream pipeline explosion and ensure they are held accountable. This action would serve to protect crucial transnational infrastructure and maintain its security," he added.

Wang urged "all members of the club of the rich, the US, Japan, and other G-7 countries, not to harm the interests of the many for the selfish interests of the few in the world of nations."