The 22nd G7 Speakers' Meeting
Mr. NUKAGA Fukushiro, Speaker of the House of Representatives, attended the 22nd G7 Speakers' Meeting, which was held in Verona, Italy on 6 September (local time).
Hon. Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Republic, began by welcoming the participants and delivering his opening remarks, which was followed by the greeting from H.E. Ms. Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, who took part in the meeting online. Ms. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and Dr. Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and a guest of the meeting, then delivered their opening addresses.
The agenda for the first session was "Security and Development: New geopolitical balances and access to strategic resources," at which Hon. Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States of America, and Speaker Nukaga, delivered keynote addresses, followed by the presiding officers exchanging views.
Mr. Nukaga introduced the development of Japan's support for Ukraine in his keynote address and expressed his views on the regional situations in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, while stressing that any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo through force will not be tolerated anywhere in the world. He also went on to share his thoughts on Japan's efforts on economic security and stance as a proponent of free trade.
He also noted the importance of the concept of human security in international cooperation. He explained that being the only country among the G7 nations to have gone through a stage as a developing country enabled Japan to continue with its grounded approach, where Japan provides stable bases for people's lives and industries by supporting the development of agriculture and industries, which generates employment and income. This is made possible by carefully considering various conditions of those developing countries and having Japanese personnel work with local residents, earning the people's trust while providing support. Speaker Nukaga emphasized that this stance is important to build a foundation for peace and foster international cooperation.
Referring to India, to which he recently made a goodwill visit, as well as to African countries, Mr. Nukaga later stated that the G7 countries should strengthen cooperation with India and African nations and gain their support, thereby laying a foundation for stability in the Indo-Pacific.
In the second session, "The G7 for Africa and the Mediterranean: The common challenges of stability and growth," Ms. Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the National Assembly of the French Republic; Hon. Greg Fergus, Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada; and Dr. Tulia Ackson, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and a guest of the meeting, delivered keynote addresses, followed by the presiding officers exchanging views.
Mr. Nukaga shared the results of the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development in 2022 and the goal of the next conference, to be held in 2025. Referring to Japan's long support in promoting rice cultivation in Tanzania as an example of Japanese support to African countries, he explained Japan's stance on taking a grounded approach as a partner that grows together with Africa.
In the third session under the agenda, "Artificial Intelligence, Cyber-Security and the Protection of National Interests: The role of parliaments in the digital transition," Ms. Bärbel Bas, President of the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Rt. Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, delivered keynote addresses, followed by the presiding officers exchanging views.
Expressing his hope that a comprehensive international mechanism for AI governance would be formed, including advancement of the Hiroshima AI Process, Mr. Nukaga shared his thoughts on the recent development of legislations regarding cyber security, countermeasures against disinformation and misinformation, and on the possibility of AI use in parliaments.
The meeting was concluded with the adoption of the declaration to be issued. (Declaration(PDF:186KB))
H.E. Mr. Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic, delivered his speech at the opening ceremony held on the previous evening, 5 September, in which Speaker Nukaga participated. During the meeting, Mr. Nukaga had a bilateral meeting with his Italian, American, Canadian and Ukrainian counterparts.
Hon. Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Chamber of Deputies, Italian Republic
Hon. Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, USA
Hon. Greg Fergus, Speaker of the House of Commons, Canada
Dr. Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine
Participants
| Japan | Nukaga Fukushiro, Speaker, House of Representatives |
| Canada | Greg Fergus, Speaker, House of Commons |
| France | Yaël Braun-Pivet, President, National Assembly |
| Germany | Bärbel Bas, President, Bundestag |
| Italy | Lorenzo Fontana, President, Chamber of Deputies |
| UK | Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker, House of Commons |
| USA | Mike Johnson, Speaker, House of Representatives |
| EP* | Roberta Metsola, President, European Parliament |
| * The European Parliament is a permanent observer of the meeting. |
Guests
| Ukraine | Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman, Verkhovna Rada |
| IPU | Tulia Ackson, President, Inter-Parliamentary Union |