Overview
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi joined G7 leaders and Ukraine’s president on June 16 for a session that reaffirmed the group’s commitment to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
- Takaichi said she won support at the summit for closer cooperation on critical‑mineral supply chains and for a proposal to coordinate stockpiles of key materials such as rare earths.
- She used bilateral meetings with France and Brazil to push economic‑security ties, launch Japan–MERCOSUR EPA negotiations, and start a Japan‑Brazil AI cooperation dialogue.
- Takaichi flagged growing military links between Russia and North Korea and between Russia and China, raised North Korean denuclearization and past abductions, and urged sustained G7 unity to deter unilateral change by force.
- Tokyo said any decision to deploy Japan’s Self‑Defense Forces to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would depend on evolving security conditions and diplomatic developments, leaving the option contingent on reduced regional risk.