Biden to Visit Japan for G7 Summit as Planned

By Hiroshi Tajima / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

13:46 JST, May 13, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden will arrive in Hiroshima on Thursday to attend the upcoming Group of Seven summit, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.

Speaking at a press briefing, Jean-Pierre stressed that Biden’s visit to Japan would go ahead regardless of the status of a political impasse over the U.S. government debt ceiling, which sets limits on government borrowing.

Jean-Pierre said she had spoken to the president about the G7 summit, which is scheduled to start in Hiroshima on Friday. “I can say that for sure in this moment that he’s expecting to go [to Hiroshima],” she said.

Biden is scheduled to leave the United States on Wednesday.

The president had previously indicated that he might not participate in the summit or attend it online if the debt ceiling issue was not resolved.

Biden plans to meet with congressional leaders, including Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy within a couple of days to discuss the debt ceiling.

“That is something that Congress should act on,” Jean-Pierre said. She also called for the Republican side to make concessions, saying it is clear that a default must be avoided.