G7 meeting in Japan

G7-mötet i Japan

Zelensky and Kishida. Eugene Hoshiko / AP  

 

Analysis: G7 a balancing act for Japanese leaders  

 

The G7 meeting in Hiroshima meant a unique dilemma for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, writes Foster Klug in an analysis for AP.  

 

The vision of a world without nuclear weapons is a cornerstone of Kishida's rhetoric. Now he was forced to take into account the concerns of the Japanese and the rest of the world during a summit characterized partly by the threat from the nuclear-armed countries Russia, North Korea and China, partly by Ukraine's military rearmament, writes Klug.  

 

"But even standing side by side with Zelenskyi [...] the Japanese leader repeatedly tried to champion his idea of a nuclear-free world."  

 

During the G7 meeting, Zelenskyy looked beyond his circle of allies in the Western world, writes Shaimaa Khalil for the BBC. 

 

It is easy to believe that the whole world is behind Ukraine, but this is not the case - many countries maintain close ties to Moscow, including India, which has decided that it will continue to buy large quantities of Russian oil, she continues. 

 

"That's why it's remarkable to see Zelenskyy conversing with the Indian prime minister - however awkward it may have been."  

 

Rahm Emanuel. Eugene Hoshiko / AP  

 

Japan's family policy US ambassador to Japan in LGBT row with right wing  

 

Rahm Emanuel, the US ambassador to Japan, has found himself at odds with conservative politicians in his host country after advocating for expanded LGBTQ rights in the country, writes the New York Times.  

 

A week before the G7 meeting, he gathered 15 ambassadors and recorded a video urging parliament to vote for LGBTQ rights and, by implication, to allow same-sex marriage.  

 

That made Masamune Wada, a member of the ruling Liberal Democrats, angry.  

 

"If Emanuel intends to use his position as US ambassador to influence Japan in any way, we will make sure to immediately send him home," he writes in a tweet that has been liked nearly 30,000 times.  

 

Kaori Arimoto, a columnist in the right-wing newspaper Sankei, calls the action "arrogant and scandalous".  

 

Japan is the only G7 country that does not allow same-sex marriage, but according to surveys, 70 percent of the population supports it.