WASHINGTON--Holding the next Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima offers a historic opportunity to shine world attention on the horrors of nuclear warfare and global calls for nuclear disarmament, visiting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.

Addressing a news conference here Jan. 14 a day after he held talks with U.S. President Joe Biden, Kishida also said that he and other G-7 leaders had reaffirmed the need to join forces and work together to “defend the international order based on the rule of law.”

Kishida also met separately with other G-7 leaders in France, Italy, Britain and Canada prior to his visit to the United States, the last leg of his tour.

Referring to the G-7 summit he will host in Hiroshima from May 19 to 21, the prime minister said the gathering will have heightened significance over past meetings as it is being held in one of only two cities in the world to have been leveled by atomic bombing.

Kishida said the summit will allow him to send a message to the world that nuclear arms have not been used for the past 77 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki and this fact “should never be overlooked in terms of ensuring the continued existence of humanity.”

Unity and cooperation among the G-7 nations will influence the global community more than ever in today’s world, he added.

Germany was the only G-7 country Kishida was unable to visit during the trip. However, he said he is hoping to exchange views with Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the earliest opportunity.

Kishida also said he is ready to fully discuss how his government intends to fund a massive increase in defense spending during the Diet session starting Jan. 23.

“We will explain to the public details of the expansion of Japan’s defense capabilities, budgets and financial resources for them through debate with the opposition parties,” he said.

On Jan. 13, during an address to Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, Kishida indicated that the radical shift he engineered in Japan’s defense posture will be ranked as one of his greatest achievements.

He cited revisions made last month to three key documents--the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy and the Defense Buildup Program--as well as significantly expanding defense budgets in Japan’s strengthened defense alliance with the United States.

“I am convinced that this decision represents one of the most historically critical milestones for strengthening the alliance, following such precedents as the conclusion of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty by Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, the revision of the Treaty by Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi and the Legislation for Peace and Security by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.”

Biden lavished praise on Japan’s “historic” increase in defense spending when met Kishida earlier the same day, noting that the Japanese leader had fulfilled a pledge he made in May when they held summit talks in Tokyo.

Biden expressed hopes that Japan’s strengthened defense posture will serve as a deterrence in East Asia.

China’s growing maritime assertiveness, North Korea’s repeated missile tests and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have all served to heighten global tensions.

Citing the limitations of what the United States alone can do in response to global events, the Biden administration pushed for what is known as integrated deterrence that incorporates the expanded defense capabilities of allied nations.

The three documents his Cabinet approved will “bolster security across the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” said a joint statement issued after Kishida met with Biden.

However, it made no reference to efforts to pursue a world without nuclear weapons, a vision advocated when Barak Obama held office and Biden was vice president.

As president, Biden embraces the goal. But abolishing nuclear arsenals remains a challenge that has taxed all U.S. administrations.

In the Nuclear Posture Review the Biden administration released last October, a world without nuclear weapons was described as an ultimate goal and reducing the role of nuclear weapons as a path to achieving it.

A possible visit by Biden to Nagasaki has fueled hopes that the United States is actively pursuing the vision Obama championed. Some members of the Biden administration are pushing for him to make the trip.

However, the topic did not arise when Kishida and Biden met, suggesting it remains uncertain whether the visit will materialize.