Tokyo, June 13 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi departed Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Saturday afternoon to attend a three-day summit of the Group of Seven major powers in Evian, eastern France, and also visit Britain and Italy. It will be Takaichi’s first attendance at the G7 summit and first visit to Europe since she took office last October. The G7 members other than Japan and the three European countries are Canada, Germany and the United States plus the European Union. At the summit, Takaichi plans to make a proposal to jointly stockpile key minerals including rare earths amid China’s increasing economic coercion. She will also underline the importance of energy security as the Middle East tensions persist. “I want to discuss urgent issues frankly with other leaders and demonstrate the G7’s unity in leading the international community’s response to the issues,” Takaichi said ahead of the departure. “As a representative of Asia, I’m eager to express Japan’s position and efforts, including the perspective of the Indo-Pacific region,” she told reporters at the prime minister’s official residence. Takaichi will visit Britain first and hold talks with her British counterpart, Keir Starmer, on Sunday. The two will exchange opinions on China’s hegemonic behavior and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to confirm an enhancement of Japan-Britain ties. In Italy, Takaichi will meet with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. They are expected to reach an agreement to promote bilateral cooperation in strengthening supply chains for critical minerals and in science and technology, including space. Takaichi will travel to Evian via Geneva, Switzerland. The initiative to jointly stockpile key minerals, aimed at stabilizing their supplies through cooperation among G7 members and like-minded countries, is likely to be included in the summit’s final document. Japan, the only G7 country with its own stockpiling system, is eager to lead the cooperation by helping other countries establish similar systems. Takaichi will also propose three principles on energy security at the summit, including support for efforts to increase oil reserves. Citing the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, she plans to discuss an updated version of the free and open Indo-Pacific vision, a guiding principle for Japanese diplomatic policy. Takaichi will hold a press conference Wednesday after the three-day summit to explain diplomatic achievements and return to Japan on Thursday. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Japan PM Takaichi Leaves for Europe for G7 Summit
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