Hiroshima Increasingly Seen as Likely Host of G-7 Summit in 2023

Tokyo, May 6 (Jiji Press)--After the Golden Week holiday period through Sunday in Japan, the government is slated to start final adjustments to select the venue of the Group of Seven summit in 2023, with the western city of Hiroshima increasingly viewed as a likely candidate to host the major international event. Hiroshima, one of the world's only two cities that have suffered atomic bomb attacks, includes the parliamentary constituency of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Amid concerns that Russia may use nuclear weapons in its invasion of Ukraine, Kishida is increasingly focused on his lifework of realizing a world without nuclear weapons. "We've come to a situation where we must consider the threat of nuclear attacks as a real possibility," Kishida said Thursday in a speech during his visit to London, referring to the Ukraine crisis. Kishida said that experiences of the atomic bombing he heard about in Hiroshima when he was a child are "spurring me to take action to restore peace," expressing his eagerness to send a message calling for a world without nuclear weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been perceived as suggesting that Russia may use nuclear weapons during its military campaign in Ukraine, depending on intervention in the war by the West. Along with Hiroshima, the central and southwestern cities of Nagoya and Fukuoka, respectively, have declared their bids to host the Japan-chaired G-7 summit. The Foreign Ministry has finished rating the three cities in terms of venue and accommodation capacities, accessibility and how easy it is to guard venues, and reported the results to Kishida. "No matter which city is selected, there will be no problem," an aide to Kishida said. The prime minister plans to announce the host city before this year's G-7 summit in Germany in late June. While Nagoya and Fukuoka tout their track records of hosting international conventions, as well as convenience, Hiroshima believes that it would be meaningful for the G-7 to send out a message of peace in the city where an atomic bomb was dropped for the first time in human history. Kishida occasionally calls on foreign leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the other atomic-bombed city, in southwestern Japan. In March, Kishida visited Hiroshima with U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. He said at the time, "The Ukrainian situation reminds us of the rocky road toward a world without nuclear weapons. As a prime minister who is from Hiroshima, I must send a message to the world." Meanwhile, there are concerns that a G-7 summit in Hiroshima sending a message for a nuclear-free world without a prospect for nuclear disarmament could highlight the gap between ideal and reality. Support from Britain, France and the United States--the nuclear powers among the G-7 members--is crucial for holding the 2023 summit in Hiroshima. During his London visit, Kishida had a one-on-one meeting for about 20 minutes with his British counterpart, Boris Johnson, only accompanied by their translators. Kishida may have sought Johnson's cooperation on realizing a nuclear-free world. A senior Foreign Ministry official is confident about gaining understanding from the G-7 nuclear powers. "When there is a country threatening to use nuclear weapons, it's meaningful to call for a nuclear-free world," the official said. END