There are indications that Japan, the only Asian member of the Group of Seven nations, has begun to doubt the influence of the 44-year-old organization of mainly Western nations, as it has proved largely ineffective in resolving issues surrounding the East Asian region.
With U.S. President Donald Trump and some European leaders at odds over trade, security and climate matters, concerns in East Asia have received less attention at G7 meetings, Japanese officials have grumbled in private.
While Japan continues to cooperate with its G7 peers — which include Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and the United States, plus the European Union — to tackle threats from North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as the negative impact of China's economic slowdown and its trade war with the United States, things recently have not gone as Tokyo had hoped.