The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries opened a three-day meeting in the central Japanese town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on Sunday.

The gathering is one of a series of ministerial meetings hosted by Japan in the run-up to the G7 Hiroshima Summit in May.

The participants attended a working dinner on the first day. They are believed to be exchanging opinions on China's increasing military pressure on Taiwan and North Korea's repeated launches of ballistic missiles.

The main items on the agenda for the first two days include the situation in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific.

On the final day, the participants will discuss nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. To wrap up the meeting, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa will speak at a news conference and issue a joint statement.

Japan hopes to demonstrate the group's unity in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Tokyo also hopes to come up with programs to reach out to the Global South. Many emerging and developing nations maintain a neutral position over the conflict in Ukraine.

As the only G7 member from Asia, Japan intends that China will be a key topic for the discussions. The Japanese government seeks to confirm that the participants will not tolerate any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force, and will work together to maintain and strengthen the international order.