Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio summed up the G7 summit as it wrapped on Sunday in Hiroshima. He hailed the significance of the meeting held in a city that suffered the world's first atomic bombing.
Kishida said, "We reaffirmed that there is no winner in a nuclear war and a nuclear war must never be fought.
I feel a historical significance in that the G7 leaders made this clear in a statement in this atomic bombed city, after listening to a survivor, seeing the reality of the devastation and feeling people's hope for peace."
He also said, "Dreams and ideals are not the same thing because ideals are reachable. We are all citizens of Hiroshima. Let's take the first realistic step today, here in Hiroshima, toward materializing the ideal that our children, grandchildren and those who will born in the future will live on Earth without nuclear weapons."
Kishida stressed any attempt to change the status quo by force anywhere in the world cannot be tolerated. He said the G7 will work to bring about a just and lasting peace in Ukraine as soon as possible.
Kishida also said, "I feel it is significant that we invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Japan, showed unwavering solidarity between the G7 and Ukraine, confirmed the importance of a free and open international order based on the rule of law, and strongly demonstrated to the world that we have renewed our commitment to protecting it."
Kishida noted that as Russia's invasion drags on, the global economy is facing serious challenges such as inflation and food and energy shortages. He said the G7 will lead efforts to realize sustainable growth. And they will work with other nations to increase economic resilience and security by strengthening supply chains and infrastructure.
On China, Kishida said, "The G7 leaders agreed on the importance of holding frank dialogue to directly deliver our concerns as well as the need to work with China to address global challenges. We also shared the view that China needs to act as a responsible member of the international community, and that we are ready to build constructive and stable relationships with the country through dialogue."
After answering questions that had been submitted in advance, Kishida was about to leave the venue when a reporter asked if he was taking flight without talking about nuclear disarmament.
Kishida returned to the podium and provided details of the Japan-drafted Hiroshima Action Plan that is based on five measures including calling on nuclear-armed countries to improve transparency about their nuclear stockpiles.
He said, "In the G7 Leaders' Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament, we welcomed the action plan and agreed to make efforts based on it. Japan will continue making efforts to bring about a nuclear-free world."