The G7 Hiroshima Summit

It was in my early 20s when I first visited Hiroshima, the city where the first atomic bomb was dropped on that fateful day in 1945. Having undergone a resilient recovery and transformation, the city now stands as an emblem of the worldwide peace movement, and a stark reminder of the destructive outcomes of war and nuclear weapons. I remember being deeply moved by the words inscribed on the Hiroshima Memorial Monument: “Let all the souls here rest in peace; for we shall not repeat the evil.” From this short yet powerful message, I realized that the post-war generation, including myself, is entrusted with the heavy but profound duty and mission to achieve peace. This is the “heart of Hiroshima,” the vow never to repeat war.

From May 19 to 21, the Government of Japan hosted the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in the symbolic city of Hiroshima. As we are facing challenges gravely shaking the foundations of the post-war global order such as increasing unilateral actions to change the status quo in various parts of the world stretching from the East and South China Seas, Taiwan Strait and to Ukraine, holding the summit in Hiroshima has deep significance. It demonstrates our strong commitment to maintaining and further strengthening the free and open international order that laid the foundations for peace after the war.

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio took chair and led the discussions at the summit, with particular focus on the safeguarding of the global order amid conflicts in the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and economic resilience and security. On May 21, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the sessions and discussed the ways to achieve international peace.

In the Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament, one of the statements issued as a result of the Summit, the leaders strongly condemned Russia’s nuclear intimidations against Ukraine and expressed unity in taking practical and responsible measures to achieve a nuclear weapons-free world.

Regarding the issue in the South China Sea, the leaders advocated in their joint communiqué for a peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea with respect to the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal award and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), firmly opposing China’s unlawful maritime claims and militarization activities in the region. Furthermore, they agreed to take concrete actions to address economic coercion and underscored the importance of ensuring peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

To realize these outcomes, we recognize the need to boost cooperation among the international community, the majority of which consists of the Global South or developing countries of the world. It is on this premise that we are seeking to intensify our bilateral relations with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines in particular. As strategic partners bonded by shared principles and interests, Japan and the Philippines have established robust bilateral ties and a strong friendship founded on mutual trust. To cope with new and emerging challenges we are now facing, we hope to expand further our bilateral synergies – particularly on security and defense, economy and people-to-people exchanges – and contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the entire world.

The message from Hiroshima reverberates in our joint call for a free and open Indo-Pacific. This is a vital concern for both Japan and the Philippines, as our two countries are largely dependent on the vast waters of the region to sustain our economies. To ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indo-Pacific, Japan takes a firm stance against unilateral claims and coercive actions by China in the East China Sea and expresses grave concern over such actions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. We concur with the Philippines’ principled and rules-based approach in settling maritime disputes in accordance with international laws, in particular the UNCLOS, and express our full support for the award issued by the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal on the South China Sea, which is final and legally binding.

Reinforcing our commitment to maritime stability in the region, we aim to deepen our security and defense partnership with the Philippines, a key player in the Indo-Pacific due to its strategic geographical location. As stated in the Japan-Philippines Joint Statement issued after the summit meeting between our leaders last February, our countries agreed to bolster our security and defense ties through bilateral and trilateral dialogues, defense equipment and technology transfers, and capacity building.

Japan has sought to translate this resolve into concrete action, making significant contributions to the modernization of the Philippines’ defense and maritime law enforcement through knowledge sharing and provision of various defense equipment and technology. The Japan Self-Defense Forces have also been participating in joint defense exercises with the Philippine and United States armies, with the recent observation of the Balikatan 2023 Exercise being an example.

At the policy level, both countries held the historic first Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting (2+2 meeting) in April last year, and resolved to enhance further our defense and security cooperation. In the field of maritime law enforcement, Japan has provided equipment, including two 97-meter and ten 44-meter multi-role response vessels (MRRVs), training and scholarships and dispatched long-term experts to boost the capabilities of the Philippine Coast Guard. On maritime domain, we held the fifth meeting of the Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue last March 29 and reaffirmed our common commitment to a rules-based, free and open maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region.

Amid these difficult times, I am reminded of a famous quote: “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” History has repeatedly taught us that war and violence will never be the means to achieve true peace. Thus, in the spirit of friendship and diplomacy, Japan will act in solidarity with the Philippines and like-minded nations to address global issues and bring peace to the world.

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Koshikawa Kazuhiko is the Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines.