Access to Hiroshima Summit Island Venue Restricted

The Yomiuri Shimbun

18:22 JST, May 16, 2023

The Foreign Ministry began restricting access Monday to Hiroshima’s Ujina Island, where the main venue for the Group of Seven summit is located.

With the G7 summit set to begin on Friday at the Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima, access to the road leading to the island will be restricted until Sunday, the last day of the summit, with the cooperation of the Hiroshima prefectural police and other authorities.

A fence was erected about 200 meters north of the only bridge connecting the island with the city center at 3 p.m. on Monday.

A security checkpoint was also set up nearby to confirm the identities of those entering the island and to inspect their personal items and cargo. Those entering the island, including the about 1,500 residents of the island and businesses transporting goods to the hotel, will be required to present special identification cards, which have been issued in advance, and have their belongings checked with metal detectors.

“It’s getting more tense, but I hope it will end without any issues,” said Takaoki Kado, an 80-year-old chairman of the island’s neighborhood association.