Senior Officials, Global Experts Outline T7 Japan Roadmap for Fostering Urgent G7 Policy Breakthroughs

Tokyo, Japan – The Think7 (T7) roadmap for helping Group of 7 (G7) countries and partners confront unfolding global challenges during Japan’s 2023 G7 presidency was discussed by senior officials and experts from the G7 and broader international community in the virtual T7 Japan inception conference, hosted by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI).

View the T7 Japan 2023 Inception Conference Recording

Japan’s G7 Sous-Sherpa, Ambassador Kazuhiko Nakamura of the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, framed the discussion by explaining the G7 Japan presidency’s focus on boosting multilateral cooperation to drive economic recovery, climate change mitigation, public health, and non-proliferation.

Ambassador Nakamura stressed the importance of T7, the G7’s think tank engagement group, for transmitting research-based policy ideas to G7 countries to support coordinated problem solving in a fragmenting world.

ADBI Dean and T7 Japan Lead Chair Tetsushi Sonobe explained that T7 openness to policy research from experts from G7 and non-G7 countries aims to deliver more impactful solutions to global leaders under the T7 Japan theme Addressing Crises, Reigniting Sustainable Development, Bridging the G7 and G20.

Dean Sonobe and Think20 (T20) India lead co-chairs discussed ways to align T7 Japan policy research and outreach with that of T20 under India’s 2023 Group of 20 (G20) presidency. The goal is to avoid duplication, identify areas of collaboration, and encourage policy maker uptake of T7-T20 proposals.

Dean Sonobe and other co-chairs of the 4 T7 Japan task forces underscored the value of cross-cutting, evidence-based responses to short- and longer-term challenges. They also highlighted T7 Japan’s continuity with T7 activities under Germany’s G7 presidency and emphasis on facilitating engagement between the G7 and emerging and developing countries critical to realizing G7 policy objectives during Japan’s presidency and beyond.

T7 policy innovation is taking shape through a call for policy brief abstracts administered by T7 Japan’s Secretariat and task force co-chairs. Abstract submissions from authors worldwide are due by 9 January 2023 at 17:00 Tokyo time.

This work will be complemented by policy insights from a small group of esteemed researchers nominated by the T7 Japan Secretariat to reinforce T7’s thought leadership and influence and further supported by a high-level advisory panel of policy makers and experts.

These parallel research tracks will inform T7 issue papers and the T7 communiqué. Their recommendations will be featured at the T7 Japan Summit on 27-28 April in Tokyo, presented to leaders for consideration at the G7 summit on 19-21 May in Hiroshima, and promoted via other channels.