Sanae Takaichi promoted an agreement to strengthen strategic mineral reserves and warned about the increasing economic coercion from the Chinese regime
Since then, Tokyo has advanced a diversification strategy that has reduced Japanese dependence on China from nearly 90% to around 60%.
During the summit, Takaichi again denounced the trade restrictions imposed by Beijing and warned about the impact they can have on global supply chains.
The Japanese leader expressed deep concern over the measures taken by China against dual-use goods and products linked to critical minerals, which affect both Japan and other allied countries.
The G7's support represents a new diplomatic setback for the Chinese regime, which faces increasing scrutiny for using its economic weight to influence political decisions in other nations.
In addition to the economic debate, Takaichi sought to keep the focus on the security situation in the Indo-Pacific and the rising tensions surrounding Taiwan.
The final G7 declaration reaffirmed opposition to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo through force or coercion in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and the Taiwan Strait.
The Prime Minister also had an exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump, with whom she agreed on the need to continue strengthening cooperation to ensure a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”.
Takaichi's participation highlighted Tokyo's intention to take on an increasingly active role in building a Western strategy to contain China's economic and geopolitical influence.
As Beijing continues to use its dominance over strategic resources as a tool of international pressure, Japan is trying to establish itself as one of the main drivers of a coordinated response among industrialized democracies.
The Prime Minister of Japan, Sanae Takaichi, concluded her first participation in a G7 summit with significant international support for one of her main priorities: addressing Western dependence on critical minerals controlled by China.
During the meeting held in Evian, France, G7 leaders agreed to strengthen the resilience of supply chains for rare earths and other strategic resources, in a message directed straight at the Beijing regime.
“The G7 expressed a united and serious concern about export controls on critical minerals and economic coercion”, Takaichi stated after the meeting.
One of the central points of the joint declaration states that by 2030, G7 countries will seek to reduce their dependence on any single external supplier to less than 60% for rare earths and permanent magnets.
Additionally, the plan includes the creation of strategic reserves equivalent to 90 days of demand, coordinated with the International Energy Agency to respond to potential supply disruptions.
The initiative primarily aims to counteract China's enormous dominance over the global market for critical minerals, essential for the technology, energy, and military industries.
Takaichi highlighted that Japan is currently the only G7 country that has a national system for the storage of critical minerals for civilian use.
The Prime Minister made available to the bloc the experience of JOGMEC, the Japanese agency specialized in energy security and mineral resources, to help other countries develop similar mechanisms.
The Japanese concern has concrete precedents. In 2010, following a maritime incident in the disputed Senkaku Islands, China restricted rare earth exports to Japan, demonstrating its willingness to use these resources as a tool of political pressure.
