World leaders kick off G7 talks with economy in focus

World leaders kick off two days of G7 talks in Japan on May 26, with the creaky global economy, terrorism, refugees, China’s controversial maritime claims, and a possible Brexit headlining their packed agenda. Heads of state and government from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and host Japan are meeting in Ise Shima, a mountainous, sparsely populated area about 300 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. The group, including US president Barack Obama – whose historic visit to atomic-bombed Hiroshima threatens to overshadow the talks – will spend Thursday morning at Ise Jingu, a huge shrine complex that sits at the spiritual heart of Japan’s native Shintoism. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision to take his counterparts to the sprawling site has attracted some controversy, however, due to its nationalist overtones.

Read on Rappler World about the issues the leaders are taking up .