The ministers of foreign affairs of the G7 countries will focus on the security of both Europe and the Indo-Pacific region. The meeting in Japan will begin on Sunday against the disturbing background of the war in Ukraine and the persistence of China.

 This is reported by Reuters.

 The three-day meeting in the resort town of Karuizawa also comes amid concerns that the stance of some European G7 leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, could be perceived as weak on Beijing's threats against Taiwan.

 In recent days, China has conducted military exercises around Taiwan, which it claims as its own, and has never shied away from using force to reassert control over the democratically-ruled island.

 "The security of Europe and the security of the Indo-Pacific region cannot be discussed separately - they are intertwined with each other," said a representative of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on condition of anonymity about the upcoming meeting.

 The meeting, which includes ministers from the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Canada, Italy and a representative of the European Union, comes ahead of a leaders' summit to be held by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Hiroshima next month.

 Kisida visited Ukraine in March, at the same time Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

 The war has sparked rare support for Ukraine in pacifist Japan, with many Japanese viewing the Russian invasion as evidence of a potential threat to neighboring Taiwan from an assertive China.

 "One of the reasons why Japan is so supportive of Ukraine is that they want ... broader support from the West when it comes to East Asia," said James Brown, a political science professor at Temple University in Japan.

 Washington is trying to strengthen the G7's commitment to further action to deter China from moving to change the political status quo on the self-governing island, a US diplomatic source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

 According to Brown, it will be doubly important for the G7 to reaffirm its solidarity and support Ukraine, given doubts about Europe's stance on China after Macron warned against getting involved in any crisis over Taiwan.

The "Big Seven" were an important partner in holding Russia accountable for its aggression in Ukraine, Deputy State Department official Vedant Patel said on Monday. I have no doubt that the "Big Seven" will continue to play an important role, including at the upcoming meeting of foreign ministers."

 Security measures at the meeting have not changed, Japan's foreign ministry said, following panic on Saturday when a man set off a smoke grenade as Prime Minister Kishida campaigned in western Japan. The Prime Minister of Japan was not injured, and the suspect was arrested.

 We will remind, on the eve of the summit of the leaders of the G7 countries, which will be held on May 19, Japan will start holding a series of ministerial meetings, seeking to lead the discussion of a number of issues, including the invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, problems with energy supply, and others.