Japan objects to US proposal of South Korea's inclusion in G7
Jun 28, 2020
Tokyo [Japan], June 28 : Japan has objected to a suggestion by US President Donald Trump calling for South Korea to be added into the G7, arguing that Seoul does not share the views of G7 on China and North Korean issues, Kyodo reported citing diplomatic sources.
Trump had on May 30 tabled the idea for inviting Russia, South Korea, Australia and India to attend this year's G7 summit. Trump had called the group "very outdated" and it no longer "properly represents what's going on in the world" and hence wants to expand the current membership, according to the Tokyo based news agency.
The Kyodo reported that Tokyo had through a high-level Japanese government official registered its objections immediately after Trump's statement. The news agency pointed out that for Japan, South Korea's inclusion would mean losing its status as the sole Asian member of the G-7, which brings together Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States plus the European Union.
The summit was initially scheduled for June but postponed to September due to the coronavirus pandemic.
