Japan PM Kishida to Invite Indian PM Modi to Hiroshima Summit in May

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:40 JST, March 19, 2023

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a Group of Seven summit meeting to be held in Hiroshima City in May, according to government sources. Kishida will extend the invite while visiting India from Sunday to Wednesday.

One of the main topics at the Hiroshima summit is expected to be the restoration of the international order, which has been shaken by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In his meeting with Modi, Kishida aims to confirm Japan’s ties with India, which currently chairs the Group of 20.

Modi regards India as leader of the so-called Global South, which mainly comprises developing and emerging countries. Kishida also hopes to strengthen Japan’s commitment to the Global South by acting in tandem with India.

At the Hiroshima summit, the government plans to hold a meeting that also involves heads of non-G7 members. For example, Tokyo is currently finalizing plans to invite South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol — who recently presented a measure to resolve a dispute over lawsuits in the country filed by former requisitioned workers from the Korean Peninsula — to the meeting.

The government also intends to invite Brazilian President Lula da Silva as a representative of Latin America, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.