Japan: The foreign ministers of the G7 have pledged to adopt sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war and criticised China for its actions in the Taiwan Strait, demanding Beijing “act as a responsible member of the international community.” The comments marked the conclusion of a three-day meeting in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa.

The G7 communique further criticised North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile program and expressed concern over the violence in Sudan and Myanmar. In addition, the countries called on the Taliban to reverse its ban on women working for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the United Nations.

The document was prepared as a template for global leaders to use at a G7 summit that will be held in Hiroshima, Japan, next month and also included language about Iran, nuclear proliferation, and other “grave threats.” The focus of the summit was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The group, which comprises the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Canada, noted that “there can be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities such as Russia’s attacks against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure.”

“We remain committed to intensifying sanctions against Russia, coordinating and fully enforcing them,” the ministers stated, and would support Ukraine “for as long as it takes” as it defends itself.

“Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and its threat to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are unacceptable. Any use of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons in Ukraine “would be met with severe consequences,” the statement added.

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