Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center, addresses a Group of Seven session in Hiroshima on May 21. Leaders of invited countries and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined G-7 leaders. (Koichi Ueda)

Russia obviously must be condemned for its invasion of Ukraine, an outrageous act that violates international law.

But we should ask ourselves whether Russia would have invaded Ukraine if Group of Seven members had made a united effort to confront Moscow over the past several years.

A rift was evident at a G-7 summit held in Taormina on the southern Italian island of Sicily in 2017.

With his America First policy, U.S. President Donald Trump was at odds with European leaders over such issues as free trade and climate change.

Russia had been excluded from the Group of Eight framework after it annexed Crimea in 2014, but Trump in 2019 went so far as to call for bringing the country back into the fold.

Japan’s sanctions against Russia were lukewarm in part because Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was eager to negotiate with Moscow to resolve the dispute over the Northern Territories.

As the G-7 lost some of its clout over international politics and economy, China emerged as a global power and aligned itself with Russia.

A divide between democracy and autocracy deepened.

Countries collectively known as Global South have played important roles in developing an international order.

Suffering from food and energy shortages and seeking practical benefits, these countries have refrained from criticizing Russia and deepened economic dependence on China.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has learned lessons from a fractured G-7 and a divided world.

As chair of the G-7 summit in Hiroshima, he set three goals: standing in unity behind the rule of law; cooperating with Global South; and paving way for “a world without nuclear weapons.”

The goals all meet the needs of the times.

G-7 members succeeded in displaying solidarity by denouncing Russia for its willingness to act against international law.

The group also shared Global South’s concerns and offered cooperation, but there were few concrete support measures to keep them from leaning toward Russia and China.

It is historically significant to have brought together G-7 leaders in Hiroshima, a city devastated by the U.S. atomic bombing on Aug. 6, 1945.

Still, the leaders failed to send out a convincing message about their determination to realize “a world without nuclear weapons.”

Granted, a document summarizing their discussions in Hiroshima criticized Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons. But it also argued for the need of maintaining nuclear deterrence.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to Hiroshima to meet with G-7 and other world leaders.

It was important for Zelenskyy, who is facing Russia’s nuclear threats, to learn about the reality of atomic bombing.

But Zelenskyy’s visit overshadowed discussions on cooperation with Global South and those on “a world without nuclear weapons.”

A number of issues remain unresolved for Kishida, who has said he will lead the international community to cooperation, not division and confrontation.

In an increasingly complicated world, it will be impossible to win support by fanning animosities and demanding countries choose a side.

For Japan and other G-7 members, a task left unfinished in Hiroshima is how to re-establish through cooperation an international order that respects the rule of law, not the use of force or intimidation.

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