As the war in Ukraine drags on, Japan, which will chair the Group of Seven industrialized nations in 2023, should increase efforts to urge more nations to impose sanctions on Russia and add pressure on Moscow to enter negotiations with Ukraine for a ceasefire, international relations experts say.
An effective way to do so is for the G7, whose leaders are gathering for an annual summit in Hiroshima in May, to form a united front with countries that have so far resisted taking action against Russia.
Russia's invasion of its neighbor in late February has led the G7 states — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the European Union — and some other nations to impose a series of punitive measures on Russia, a major natural resource producer, including an energy embargo and a ban on sales of semiconductors and cutting-edge materials to the country.