G7 Hiroshima Summit Leaders' Declaration Strengthens Free and Open International Order

The G7 Hiroshima Summit issued a leaders' declaration.
It clearly states that it will strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law, will continue to support Ukraine, and will work toward a "world without nuclear weapons" through a realistic approach. In addition, Japan will provide support to emerging and developing countries, also known as the "Global South," while taking into account the circumstances of each country.

The G7 Hiroshima Summit issued a Leaders' Declaration summarizing the outcomes of discussions by the leaders.

First, the preamble emphasizes that the G7 is more united than ever to meet global challenges and pave the way for the future, and clearly states that it will strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

Referring to the fact that Japan issued a statement on the situation in Ukraine separately from the Leaders' Declaration, it stated that it will continue and strengthen its support for Ukraine and work to reduce its impact on vulnerable people around the world.

China also expressed serious concern about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.

Japan will reaffirm the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and encourage the peaceful resolution of the issue.

In addition, it calls on China to pressure Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine.

On the other hand, rather than "decoupling" China, which is an important trading partner and severs economic ties, it will reduce risks with China while maintaining economic ties.

On top of that, we will cooperate on global issues and build constructive and stable relationships.

As for North Korea, Japan strongly condemns its repeated ballistic missile launches and says it will be involved in a complete, verifiable and irreversible abandonment of nuclear weapons and other weapons.

As for Iran, it says it must never develop nuclear weapons and must stop supporting Syria.

In Sudan, Africa, where armed clashes continue, we strongly condemn the fighting and call for an immediate end to hostilities.

Furthermore, with regard to the Indo-Pacific region, Japan will collaborate with ASEAN = Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Pacific island countries to realize a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific."

On nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, it emphasizes that it will work towards the realization of a "world without nuclear weapons" through a realistic and practical approach.

Furthermore, the NPT = Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is the cornerstone of the international pursuit of nuclear non-proliferation and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and we will firmly uphold it.

As for the global economy, it will closely monitor financial developments and take appropriate action to maintain financial stability and system resilience.

It will play a leading role in the Sustainable Development Goals = SDGs set by the United Nations and promote transparent and fair development finance.

In the climate change and energy sector, we will increase the pace of the transition to clean energy and act towards economic transformation in order to achieve "carbon neutrality" with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest.

It clearly states that it will support emerging and developing economies, also known as the "Global South," to transition to climate-resilient circular economies in a diverse and practical way that takes into account their respective circumstances.

In terms of economic security, with China in mind, it says it will launch a framework to coordinate and counter so-called "economic coercion," which seeks to influence the policies and decision-making of other countries through embargoes.

In addition, to further promote the transition to clean energy, we will build a sustainable and resilient supply chain for a stable supply of important mineral resources and products that use them.

Amid growing concerns about food crises, the government will specifically provide assistance to developing and emerging countries, also known as the "Global South."

Meanwhile, in the digital field, we have instructed relevant G7 ministers to launch the Hiroshima AI Process to discuss generative AI, and have included discussions in working groups later this year.

In the environmental sector, it has set a new goal of reducing further pollution from plastic waste to zero by 2040 and will pursue the creation of sustainable supply chains to facilitate the transition to clean energy.

In the health sector, the public and private sectors will work to provide more than $480 billion in funding for global health after COVID and contribute to equitable access to medicines for the pandemic.

On gender issues, it will ensure the full and meaningful social participation of sexual minorities.

"Global Economy": Cooperation among Countries for Financial Stability

In the issued Leaders' Declaration, the G7 countries agreed to take appropriate actions toward maintaining financial stability and the resilience of the financial system in light of a series of bank failures in the United States.

With regard to the current state of the global economy, although it has shown resilience to multiple shocks, bearing in mind persistent inflation and monetary tightening by European and U.S. countries, it is necessary to continue to be vigilant and take flexible and flexible policy responses amid heightened uncertainty about the outlook.

On this basis, given that the inflation rate remains high, the Bank confirms that the central banks will strongly work toward price stability in line with their respective obligations.

Furthermore, in light of the successive bank failures in the United States, the G7 countries shared the view that they are ready to closely monitor developments in the financial sector and take appropriate actions to maintain financial stability and the resilience of the financial system.

"Energy Field" Dealing with the Energy Crisis Caused by the Invasion of Ukraine

In the energy sector, the G7 countries will work together to address the energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and to realize a decarbonized society.

In addition, while recognizing various pathways according to the circumstances of each country, it emphasizes that we will work to achieve the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

In addition, with regard to renewable energy, the development and introduction of next-generation technologies needs to be significantly accelerated, and the numerical targets of increasing offshore wind power generation by 2030 gigawatts to six times the current level and nearly three times the current level of solar power generation to more than 150 terawatt by 6 were included.

With regard to coal-fired power plants, he said he would prioritize concrete efforts to phase out power plants that have not taken measures to reduce emissions, and called on other countries to stop new construction as soon as possible.

It also emphasizes that the global effort to phase out fossil fuels that have not been addressed to reduce emissions will be accelerated.

In addition, regarding the plan to dilute the treated water accumulated at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station to a concentration below the standard and release it into the sea, the IAEA supports an independent review to ensure that the discharge is carried out in accordance with the safety standards of the IAEA = International Atomic Energy Agency and international law, and does not affect the human body or the environment.

"Economic Security": Cooperation to Protect Supply Chains

The Leaders' Declaration states that the G7 countries will promote policies to strengthen economic security and promote cooperation not only with the G7 but also with other countries based on international trade rules in order to protect supply chains = supply chains from fragility.

In addition, bearing in mind China's increasing influence through trade and other means, G7 countries will launch "coordination platforms" and strengthen cooperation to counter so-called "economic coercion" that seeks to influence the policies and decision-making of other countries through measures such as embargoes.

In addition, the G7 countries have affirmed their shared responsibility and determination to ensure that important advanced technologies are not used for military purposes that threaten peace.

In addition, the importance of important minerals is increasing for the transition to clean energy such as renewable energy, and it is necessary to build a supply chain.

In addition, Japan welcomed the action plan for securing stable supply of important minerals such as lithium and nickel agreed at the G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers' Meeting last month, and instructed the implementation of the plan.

"Food Security": Continuing Efforts to Mitigate Food Crises

The Leaders' Declaration stated that they were deeply concerned about the global situation regarding food security, and pointed out that Russia's invasion of Ukraine in particular had greatly exacerbated the food crisis.

In addition, Japan will continue to make efforts by G7 countries and international organizations to improve food security, and to provide assistance to countries and regions in Africa and the Middle East that are affected by food crises.

In addition, Ukraine, an agricultural country, has been damaged by the invasion from Russia, and it is seriously concerned about the impact on food security in the future, and it will support the export of Ukraine's grains and fertilizers and the reconstruction of agriculture.

In addition, the importance of resilient and sustainable food systems is increasing, and Japan will work to improve sustainable productivity and utilize a wide range of innovations by utilizing domestic agricultural resources.

"Digital Field": Cooperation in the establishment of an international framework

In the Leaders' Declaration, he pointed out that while rapid technological innovation has strengthened society and the economy in the digital field, international regulations have not kept up.

He also emphasizes that systems related to the latest technologies, such as AI and the metaverse, must be based on democratic values.

With regard to generative AI such as ChatGPT, whose use and development are rapidly expanding, we agreed to discuss at the ministerial level the protection of copyrights and the response to disinformation as part of the "Hiroshima AI Process."

In addition, recognizing the importance of cross-border distribution of highly reliable data called "DFFT" in order to improve the accuracy of AI, the leaders confirmed that they would establish an international framework and promote cooperation among G7 countries and other countries toward the creation of specific systems.

"Climate change" goal remains unchanged, but urgency is growing

With regard to climate change, the Leaders' Declaration states that although Russia's invasion of Ukraine has affected the global energy market and other factors, the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050 will remain unchanged.

In addition, he emphasizes that the latest findings of the United Nations' IPCC = Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are increasing the urgency of reducing greenhouse gases worldwide.

In order to accelerate emission reductions, we will collaborate with developing countries and emerging countries, also known as the "Global South," to support the transition to a circular economy and decarbonization through various paths, taking into account the circumstances of each country.

In the automotive sector, the G7 has decided to halve carbon dioxide emissions by 2035 compared to 2000 levels based on the number of vehicles owned by each country, and has decided to check the progress of these initiatives every year.

In addition, in order to achieve the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050, the aviation sector is also promoting the introduction of an alternative fuel called "SAF" made from plants and waste oil.