Japan Prime Minister Kishida, ADBI Dean Discuss Think7 Japan Communiqué

Tokyo, Japan – Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) Dean and Think7 (T7) Japan Lead Chair Tetsushi Sonobe and other T7 Japan representatives to discuss the Think7 Japan Communiqué at the Prime Minister’s office in Tokyo on 28 April.

Prime Minister Kishida noted the importance of considering fresh perspectives on approaching today’s complex global agenda in Group of Seven (G7) policy discussions. Japan’s G7 presidency will seek to optimize T7 policy recommendations in preparation for the G7 Hiroshima Summit, he added.

The Think7 Japan Communiqué outlines research-based policy proposals for G7 countries and partners at the G7 Hiroshima Summit on 19-21 May and beyond. It was produced by global experts via T7, the G7’s official think tank engagement group led by ADBI under Japan’s 2023 G7 presidency.

Dean Sonobe stressed that T7 Japan’s proposals to promote greater G7 engagement with developing countries and opportunities to bridge G7 and Group of 20 (G20) actions could help address intersecting crises and reignite the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He described T7 Japan’s close coordination with Think20 (T20), the G20’s official think tank engagement group convening in India as part of its 2023 G20 Presidency. The aim is to provide an additional G7-G20 linkage to confront shared challenges, he explained.

The meeting between Japan Prime Minister Kishida and Dean Sonobe’s T7 Japan delegation coincided with the Think7 Japan Summit held in Tokyo and online on 27-28 April. It spotlighted policy imperatives detailed in the T7 Japan Communiqué.

The Think7 Japan Summit recording will be available prior to the G7 Hiroshima Summit on the T7 Japan website and ADBI website.