G7 leaders lay wreaths at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan
May 19, 2023
Hiroshima [Japan], May 19 : Group of Seven (G7) leaders on Friday laid wreaths at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan's Hiroshima.
They also planted saplings at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
After laying wreaths at the Hiroshima Memorial, the G7 leaders posed for a picture together.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, European Council President Charles Michel, US President Joe Biden, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posed for the picture.
Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida welcomed the G7 leaders as they arrived one by one at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. For his visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, US President Joe Biden was accompanied by his wife Jill Biden. UK PM Rishi Sunak along with his wife Akshata Murty visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (Genbaku Dome) - the only structure left standing in the area, depicting the aftermath where the world's first atomic bomb was dropped on the city on August 6, 1945. The G7 leaders are currently in Japan to attend the G7 Summit scheduled to be held in Hiroshima from May 19-21. Notably, Japan assumed the G7 Presidency in 2023.
The G7 grouping comprises Japan, Italy, Canada, France, the US, the UK and Germany. Japan under its G7 Presidency has invited leaders from Australia, Brazil, Comoros, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam, according to the statement.
The G7 Summit is an international forum held annually for the leaders of the G7 member states of France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada (in order of rotating presidency), and the European Union (EU).
Japanese PM Fumio Kishida in a message said, "From May 19 to 21, the G7 Summit will be held in Hiroshima, my hometown. Hiroshima is a beautiful city surrounded by the lush green Chugoku Mountains, facing the calm Seto Inland Sea."
"I truly look forward to welcoming the G7 Leaders to Hiroshima. At the same time, as the world's attention turns to Japan this year, it will be a great opportunity to show the world the charms of our country, from beautiful landscapes, traditional culture and local foods to cutting-edge technology," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday departed for Japan to attend the G7 Summit in Hiroshima. PM Modi in a statement before his departure, said that he will leave for Japan to attend the G7 Summit at the invitation of Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.
He said that his presence at the G7 Summit is particularly meaningful as India this year holds the G20 Presidency.
Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a tweet stated, "PM @narendramodi embarks on a visit to Japan, Papua New Guinea & Australia. First leg of the visit takes him to Japan for the @G7 Summit. An opportunity to engage with important partners in multilateral and bilateral formats."
