Japan to invite Australia, India to G7 summit: NHK

JAPAN is making arrangements to invite Australia and India to a Group of Seven (G7) summit that it is hosting in May to discuss issues including Ukraine, nuclear disarmament and climate change, public broadcaster NHK reported.

In addition to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian premier Narendra Modi, Japan is also considering welcoming Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to the meeting in Hiroshima, NHK said on Sunday (Feb 19), citing an unidentified government official.

Australia and India, along with the US and Japan, are members of the so-called Quad – a group of democracies that have been ramping up security and economic ties to counter China’s growing influence.

Japan is also weighing inviting the leaders of South Korea, with which it is locked in a dispute over wartime labour, and Indonesia, chair of the Group of 20 major economies this year, to the summit, local media have reported. BLOOMBERG