Takaichi Eyes Visit to Britain, Italy, France from June 13

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is planning to visit Britain, Italy and France from June 13 through June 18, government sources said Wednesday. The trip, during which she will attend a Group of Seven summit in France, will be her first visit to Europe since taking office in October last year. The summit in Evian, eastern France, will take place for three days from June 15, bringing together leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union. It will mark Takaichi’s first participation in a G7 summit. The leaders are expected to discuss responses to advanced artificial intelligence models and strategies to strengthen supply chains for critical minerals in light of the need to reduce reliance on China. The situation surrounding Iran and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are also likely to be high on the agenda. Ahead of the summit, Takaichi is expected to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on June 14 and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome the following day. At the meetings, she will aim to share the view that the security of the Euro-Atlantic region and that of the Indo-Pacific region are inseparable, and to enhance security cooperation. Takaichi and the British and Italian leaders are also expected to agree to steadily advance their countries’ joint development of a next-generation fighter jet. In January, Starmer and Meloni separately visited Japan and invited Takaichi to visit their countries. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]