Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven gathered in Japan on Sunday for a three-day meeting to discuss a slew of challenges ranging from the Russia-Ukraine war to the growing influence of China.

A bullet train took an hour to bring the foreign ministers of the world's seven advanced nations to the resort town of Karuizawa in central Japan, according to the local Kyodo news agency.

The town is on high alert, with police personnel strolling around the meeting venue that will host representatives from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US, plus the European Union.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida who escaped unhurt an attack involving an explosive device during a visit to western Japan on Saturday to campaign for elections has vowed to ensure the series of G-7 meetings running through May will be conducted "safely."

The foreign ministers will also discuss ways to seek closer alignment with developing countries in the Global South, many of which have remained neutral on the conflict in Ukraine.

The meeting, to be chaired by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, is expected to wrap up with the release of an outcome document. Other agenda items include nuclear disarmament, food security, and climate change, the news agency reported.

"As Russia's aggression against Ukraine has been shaking the foundation of the international order, the world is now at a historical inflection point," Hayashi told a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.

He hoped the meeting will "showcase the Group of Seven's strong will" to uphold the global order based on international law.

Japan is expected to use the ministerial meeting to reiterate its position that any attempts to “alter the status quo by force are unacceptable, whether in relation to Ukraine or Taiwan,” the news agency said.

Discussions to advance nuclear disarmament will also take place at the Karuizawa meeting amid the Russia-Ukraine war and North Korea's continuing development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

The meeting is expected to lay the groundwork for the G-7 summit from May 19 to 21 in Hiroshima, where the Japanese prime minister hopes to pitch his signature vision of a world without nuclear weapons, according to Kyodo. (Anadolu Agency)

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