OSAKA — Lower house speakers from the Group of Eight nations are gathering in Hiroshima next week, where the original plan was to discuss long-term peace and disarmament issues and the role of legislatures in strengthening nuclear nonproliferation.
But more recent, and urgent, peace and disarmament issues, including Russia's recognition of two breakaway regions from Georgia, the political crisis in Pakistan, a controversial bilateral nuclear deal between the U.S. and India, and North Korea's announcement that it will stop disabling its nuclear reactor in retaliation for America's refusal to delist it as a state sponsor of terrorism could end up dominating the talks.
The gathering will take place Monday and Tuesday, drawing lower house speakers from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Russia, as well as the European Parliament president. it will be chaired by Yohei Kono, speaker of the Diet's House of Representatives.