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The Group of Seven (G7) Summit officially opened with G7 leaders visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
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| G7 leaders visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Photo: NIKKEI ASIA |
This is the first time all G7 leaders, including the three nuclear powers, the US, UK and France, have visited the museum together.
It is no coincidence that Hiroshima was chosen as the venue for this conference. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima left an unforgettable memory for the city's residents, as well as for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is a place that preserves the traces of the consequences of the US atomic bombing of the western Japanese city on August 6, 1945.
As the driving force behind the decision to hold the summit here, Prime Minister Kishida stressed the need for G7 leaders to witness firsthand the consequences of using atomic bombs in a context where the momentum towards a world without nuclear weapons is still weak.
Although the world has made great progress in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the reality is that there are still many potential threats from this type of weapon of mass destruction. The process of reducing nuclear weapons in the world is taking place very slowly and the possessing powers continue to modernize their nuclear weapons systems.
With the ambition of realizing a world without nuclear weapons - one of his main political goals, Prime Minister Kishida has set the issue of nuclear disarmament as the main topic on the agenda of this G7 Summit, considering it the starting point for all future nuclear disarmament efforts.
Rather than aiming for nuclear disarmament in a single step, a realistic first step could be a pledge not to deploy such weapons at this conference, Kishida said. In a January speech in Washington, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stressed that the world should not take for granted the fact that no nuclear weapons have been used in 77 years.
The world is witnessing major crises that are shaking the foundations of the international order. The main objective of this conference is to strengthen the international order based on the rule of law, demonstrate strong determination to protect this order, and oppose the use of nuclear weapons and the use of force to change the status quo.
With many countries threatening to build up nuclear weapons, Hiroshima's location is seen as a symbolic opportunity for the G7 to unite in calling for disarmament and non-deployment of nuclear weapons.
Hiroshima City is also calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons, and by showcasing the legacy of the “spirit of Hiroshima,” the Land of the Rising Sun also hopes that, in addition to the message of a peaceful world without nuclear weapons, local cuisine and traditional culture will be widely known both in Japan and abroad.
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