Japan's prime minister heads to UK ahead of G7 summit

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced a diplomatic tour of the United Kingdom and Italy before attending her first G7 summit in Hiroshima. In statements posted to X, Takaichi said the visits will focus on cooperation in areas such as security, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, semiconductors, offshore wind, vital mineral supply chains and energy resilience.

The Japanese delegation arrived in London on 12 June, where Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was greeted by UK officials including Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Discussions covered climate policy, trade, and Indo‑Pacific security, reinforcing Japan‑UK ties ahead of the G7 meeting. Both leaders indicated that the summit will address geopolitical challenges in the Middle East, Ukraine and East Asia, and aim to strengthen supply‑chain and mineral‑stockpiling frameworks among the G7 nations.