All national dailies reported over the weekend on a two-day G7 foreign ministerial meeting held in northern France, saying that the participants adopted a joint statement on Saturday calling for North Korea to continue denuclearization talks with the U.S. They reportedly affirmed that UN Security Council sanctions resolutions on North Korea should be kept in place until complete denuclearization has been achieved. The foreign ministers also reportedly agreed to take a concerted approach to enhancing cybersecurity, apparently in view of the rapid rise of China and Russia in the digital economy. The dailies explained that the Chinese government is suspected of stealing corporate information abroad by organizing a group of computer hackers under the auspices of the Ministry of State Security. The G7 also expressed serious concern about China’s militarization of the South China Sea. 

Meanwhile, Sunday’s Yomiuri noted that Secretary of State Pompeo did not attend the G7 conference. The paper opined that the Secretary’s absence represents the Trump administration’s disregard of multinational diplomacy. Deputy Secretary Sullivan reportedly attended the meeting on the Secretary’s behalf. The paper added that Secretary of Homeland Security Nielsen also cut short her attendance at a separate G7 meeting that was held in Paris last week to deal with immigration issues at home.