The G7: Q&A

The G7 is a forum of seven member states of France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada (in order of rotating presidency) and the European Union (EU). In addition to G7 members, invited countries and international organizations that are not G7 members may also participate in G7 meetings.

The G7 stands for “the Group of Seven” as a collective name for the seven member states.

The term of G7 Presidency is one year from January to December. The G7 Presidency prepares for the G7 Summit of the year through preparatory meetings at the working level and Ministerial Meetings. The G7 Presidency may also call for an emergency meeting in response to international situations of the moment.

Japan has assumed the G7 Presidency for six times: 1979 (Tokyo Summit), 1986 (Tokyo Summit), 1993 (Tokyo Summit), 2000 (Kyushu-Okinawa Summit), 2008 (Hokkaido Toyako Summit), and 2016 (Ise-Shima Summit). In 2023, Japan assumes the Presidency for the seventh time and hosts the G7 Hiroshima Summit.

At the G7 Summit, the leaders of the G7, which shares fundamental values such as freedom, democracy and human rights, exchange candid views on important challenges the international community is facing at that time, such as global economy, regional affairs and various global issues, and issue a document as an outcome of such discussions. With the leadership of the leaders of the G7, which shares fundamental values, the G7 has effectively responded to important challenges of the international community.

Summit preparations are primarily done by the so called “Sherpas,” the personal assistants of the heads of state and government. A “Sherpa” is a mountaineering term which originally referred to the “guide who assists climbers to reach the top (summit) of a mountain.” Sherpas from the G7 members maintain close contact as they prepare to reach the summit—a successful leaders’ meeting.

In the 1970s, developed countries that faced various challenges such as the Nixon shock (1971) and the first oil crisis (1973) began recognizing the need to create a forum to comprehensively discuss policy coordination of macro economy, currency, trade, and energy, among others, at a leader’s level.

Against this backdrop, proposed by then-French President Giscard d’Estaing, the first Summit was held in November 1975 at the Chateau de Rambouillet (located in the outskirts of Paris), with participation from six countries—France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Italy.

The Rambouillet Summit in 1975 was attended by the leaders of six countries (France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Italy), with Canada’s head of government participating since the 1976 Puerto Rico Summit and the President of the European Commission of the European Communities (the EC, now the EU) since the London Summit in 1977. Note that following the appointment of a permanent President to the European Council in 2009, Presidents of both the European Commission and the European Council have participated in Summits since the Muskoka Summit in 2010.

After the end of the Cold War, starting from the London Summit in 1991, the President of the Russian Federation began meetings with the G7 leaders after the G7 summit but outside its forum. Since the Naples Summit in 1994, the Russian President began joining political discussions during Summits, and since the Denver Summit in 1997, joined most sessions except a few on global economy and finance. From the Birmingham Summit in 1998, the term G8 Summit was used instead of the traditional G7. Since the Evians Summit in 2003, the Russian leaders began participating in all sessions, including ones on global economy.

However, in response to Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in March 2014, a decision was made to suspend Russia’s participation in the G8 at an emergency G7 Summit during the Nuclear Security Summit in Hague, Netherlands, held in the same month. Consequently, since 2014, Summits have been convened as the G7 Summit.

The Rambouillet Summit in 1975 led to the recognition of the importance of having a forum where leaders of developed countries gather and discuss policy coordination to address global economic issues. Since then, Summits have been held annually with revolving Presidency.

The importance of the G7 Summits have since grown further, as the leaders have come to discuss not only global economic issues but also regional affairs and global issues in response to international situations of the moment.

*The following website provides an overview of past G7 summits and G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, along with their outcomes.

Summit and Foreign Ministers' Meeting