HIROSHIMA (Japan), May 18, Ekaterina Plyasunkova. Reinforced Security measures have been taken in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on the eve of the summit of the leaders of the G7 countries that opens on Friday, May 19: numerous police patrols are observed in the city, garbage bins and luggage storage are sealed.
Amid reports of orphan items and their subsequent checks, there have been delays in the movement of high-speed Shinkansen trains. In particular, the Nozomi 63 high-speed train, on which the correspondent traveled to Hiroshima from Osaka, was almost two minutes late for almost the entire journey, which usually occurs only in case of any emergency on the route. Only after the Okayama station was the train able to catch up with the time delay.
Even at the entrance to Hiroshima, all train cars were examined several times by security officers. Passengers were also shown several times the announcement that trash bins and luggage storage would be unavailable in the city during the summit, and were asked for assistance in ensuring the safety of the event and apologized for the inconvenience caused due to the restrictions taken.
According to the correspondent, the garbage cans were indeed sealed, but in front of the turnstiles leading to the exit to the city, their «role» was played by an employee of the station, who was holding a plastic bag for garbage in his hands.
Due to increased security measures in Hiroshima, 140 general educational institutions will be temporarily closed, and food delivery to preschool educational institutions will be suspended these days. Suspended work until Monday and the plant of one of the major Japanese automakers Mazda Motor. The restrictions will also affect tourists — many famous places, including Miyajima Island, Peace Park and others, will not be available during the summit in Hiroshima.
In 2023, the chairmanship of the «group of seven» passed to Japan. The G-7 summit will be held May 19-21. According to Japanese media, about 24,000 police officers will ensure law and order in Hiroshima during the event.
In addition to the G7 countries, India, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Vietnam and three other countries have received an invitation to attend the Hiroshima summit: Indonesia chairing the ASEAN, the Cook Islands chairing the Pacific Islands Forum, and the Union of the Comoros chairing the African Union. In addition to these countries, the heads of seven organizations received invitations to the summit in Hiroshima: the UN, the International Energy Agency, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank, the WHO and the WTO.