Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has started a series of high level talks with world leaders ahead of the G7 Summit that begins Friday.
Kishida met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Hiroshima Thursday. He plans to hold bilateral meetings with world leaders attending the summit.
One of those will be with US President Joe Biden, who has now arrived in Japan, his plane touching down around 4 p.m. on Thursday. Kishida and Biden are expected to talk about the response capabilities of their countries' alliance, amid growing concerns over China and North Korea.
At the summit, Kishida hopes to highlight the risks of nuclear weapons in a city that was the site of the world's first atomic bombing in 1945.
Kishida said on Thursday morning, "I want the summit to be an opportunity to confirm the G7 countries' strong determination towards a world without nuclear weapons and to convey our will to safeguard a free and open international order based on the rule of law."
G7 leaders are scheduled to discuss the situation in Ukraine and geopolitical challenges in the Indo-Pacific. Food security and the state of the global economy will also be on the agenda.