Courtesy Call from WEF Chairman Klaus Schwab (Summary)
July 4, 2023
[Provisional translation]
On July 4, commencing at 1:40 p.m., for approximately 20 minutes, Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio received a courtesy call from Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, after welcoming Professor Schwab's visit to Japan, Prime Minister Kishida stated that in the recent G7 Hiroshima Summit, held at a historic turning point in the international community, the participating countries shared an understanding of the importance of upholding the free and open international order based on the rule of law, toward an international community characterized by cooperation rather than division and confrontation. He also stated that regarding artificial intelligence (AI), the “Hiroshima AI Process” had been launched and the G7 members are expected to deepen discussion on the matter. Prime Minister Kishida expressed his wish to continue to work closely with the World Economic Forum in promoting G7's initiatives on AI.
- Professor Schwab congratulated on the success of the G7 Hiroshima Summit and appreciated Japan's important role to show a pivotal force in the global context. In particular, he welcomed G7's involvement in the field of AI, stating that the World Economic Forum would like to contribute to the discussions in this field from the industrial perspective in the framework of WEF’s annual meeting (Davos meeting). He also expressed his wish to continue cooperation with Japan, which holds the G7 presidency in 2023, looking ahead to the next Davos meeting scheduled for next January.
