In the wake of the so-called "Panama Papers" leak, Group of Seven leaders plan to adopt an action plan against corruption and tax evasion when they meet this month, a Japanese government source said Tuesday.
The source added, as host to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Japan wants to include measures to curb corruption relating to major sports events.
The action plan is due to be announced during the May 26 to 27 G-7 Ise-Shima summit. It will take the form of an attachment to a joint declaration by the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.
It is unclear at this stage what action the G-7 leaders will pledge to take, given that tax havens are usually sovereign nations with individual outlooks on privacy.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to show that the G-7 stands united in fighting corruption, tax avoidance and the illegal accumulation of wealth, the source said. Despite differences in views from one country to another on tax avoidance, Abe plans to promote talks on anti-graft measures when Group of 20 leaders meet in China in September.
Abe special adviser Masahiko Shibayama is set to announce the G-7's plan at an anti-corruption meeting in London on Thursday. Japan hopes that the agreements reached at the London meeting — the first of its kind — will be reflected in the action plan.
The leaders are also expected to throw the G-7's support behind setting up a transparent bidding system for infrastructure projects in developing countries, in which Japan, China and Western countries are increasingly competing against each other.
The action plan is also likely to call for wiping out doping in sport and action against illegal bidding in the construction of stadiums and other facilities linked to events such as the Olympics and soccer's World Cup.