Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is hosting the annual summit of Group of Seven leading industrial nations over the next several days in Hiroshima.

Kishida’s chairmanship comes at a crucial time for the group and the world. The G7, once derided as a photo-op for leaders of a global order whose time has passed, has assumed new vigor and relevance in recent years. This is, as Kishida said upon his departure for Hiroshima on Thursday, “a historic crossroads.” With leadership and follow-up, the group could again serve as a venue to coordinate action on critical issues. It is not clear what other mechanism could serve that purpose today.

When formed 50 years ago, the G7 countries represented nearly two-thirds of global wealth. Today, they account for about 44% of the global economy.

Its status as international economic manager had been eclipsed by the Group of 20, formed in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis in 2007-08. The G7 has a whiff of nostalgia to it — the leading countries of the Cold War era gathering to show the world (and themselves) that they still set global policy.

That assignment and those ambitions have assumed new urgency since the invasion of Ukraine. The G7 has become the venue where the forces that back the existing global order convene to plan coordinated action. Prime Minister Kishida has repeatedly declared that Russia's aggression against Ukraine is a matter of concern for the entire world and a challenge to the rules and principles of the entire international community. It is why he has called the meeting “the most important in Japan's history.” It is also why U.S. President Joe Biden is attending the summit despite canceling the second half of his trip because of domestic political issues.

The first message of this meeting then is that security is indivisible and that no country is safe when international rules are discarded at will and borders redrawn by force. The declaration released by the leaders will reiterate that the world benefits from a rules-based order and will call on all nations to rally behind Ukraine to ensure that aggression is not rewarded and that no other governments are inspired to resolve disputes with neighbors by use of force. G7 nations and others must ensure that Ukraine has the support it needs — financial, military, diplomatic — to continue to fight and prevail against Russian aggression.

Implicit in that statement is the threat posed by China. It has territorial disputes with all its maritime neighbors, has used force to reinforce those claims and has been increasingly hard line in its policy toward Taiwan, an island Beijing considers “a renegade province” that must be united with the mainland. It is not clear, however, if the statement will identify China by name; forging and maintaining consensus among the group is important and some G7 governments are uncomfortable calling out Beijing.

That hesitance is born from the equally important need to engage China. The country is central to the global economy and all G7 countries have deep business ties with it that they are not prepared to jeopardize. Beijing could play a vital role in resolving the Ukraine crisis and it is a critical partner in the resolution of most international challenges. Beijing must be encouraged to respect international law but that does not mean needlessly antagonizing that government.

Another of Kishida’s priorities is producing a clear unambiguous statement that denounces the use of nuclear weapons, especially for intimidation or in furtherance of national territorial ambitions. There can be no nuclear blackmail or even the belief that such weapons have utility apart from deterrence. He seeks to promote nuclear nonproliferation and the eventual realization of a world without those weapons of mass destruction. The G7 leaders will be asked to endorse that vision.

That is one of the reasons why the prime minister chose Hiroshima to host this meeting. There is no more meaningful place from which to remind the assembled leaders, the press and the world of the violence and tragedy that accompanies nuclear use. As Kishida explained, “Hiroshima, once devastated by the atomic bombing, has rebuilt itself to become a city that seeks peace. I want the leaders of the G7 members and major countries of various regions to make efforts to demonstrate their commitment to peace that will go down in history in this city.”

The language of that commitment must be carefully crafted to win the support of all participants, especially President Biden. Nuclear coercion is to be condemned, but the United States and its allies rely on those weapons to keep the peace. The G7 must not undercut that strategy.

Another priority is protecting countries from economic coercion. Both Russia and China have tried to use economic leverage for political gain and, early drafts of the G7 declaration reportedly expressed “serious concerns” over such practices. The group is also said to be preparing to establish a working-level consultative body to discuss how to counter economic coercion.

Central to that effort is creating new supply chains and that will require — and facilitate — a new relationship with developing nations. Prime Minister Kishida has made outreach to the developing world a priority; he visited four African nations in early May to deliver that message.

If the G7 is to win their support, it must do more than offer words. It must engage them as genuine partners, acknowledging and responding to their needs. The G7 should be prepared to offer assistance to both promote their development and avoid crushing debt burdens. They must also help those nations acquire food security. The group is also reportedly going to establish a new program to distribute vaccines and help ensure equitable access for developing nations in the case of another pandemic.

The targets of G7 action have responded with anger. China said a statement by G7 foreign ministers that touched on these issues was “full of arrogance, (and) prejudice against China,” and lodged complaints with Japan. Russian officials have warned that additional sanctions against it, said to be in the works, would scuttle the Black Sea deal that Moscow agreed that allows vital exports of Ukrainian grain to international markets.

Of course, there will be more than geopolitical issues on the agenda. One of the most important is artificial intelligence, which was taken up by both technology and education ministers in their meetings. Kishida is said to be pushing an initiative called the “Hiroshima AI Process” to create an international framework for drafting rules for AI.

Given the technology’s potential to transform societies and economies, creating new opportunities while simultaneously threatening to dislocate millions of workers, guidance is essential. If the G7 can create that framework, it will have regained its relevance for and centrality to global decision-making.

The Japan Times Editorial Board