Japan PM Abe to meet with Obama, Cameron ahead of G7 summit

By Reuters/Ami Miyazaki May 24, 2016 | 05:08 pm PT

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso attend a lower house budget committee session at the parliament in Tokyo, Japan, May 16, 2016. : REUTERS/Toru Hanai

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold bilateral meetings on Wednesday evening with U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of a summit of the Group of Seven nations, a Japanese foreign ministry source said.

Among topics to be discussed between Abe and Obama will be the prevention of crime by people from U.S. military bases after the arrest last week of a U.S. worker in connection with the murder of a Japanese woman.

Many residents on Okinawa resent playing host to the bulk of the U.S. military in Japan.

Obama is also set to make an historic visit to Hiroshima, site of the world's first atomic bombing, on Friday, after attending the G7 summit, hosted by Abe.

Both governments are hoping the Hiroshima visit will showcase the strong alliance between the former wartime foes.

Concerns about the health of the global economy will top the agenda at the G7 summit, although full agreement on macro-economic policy looks hard to come by.

Other topics include terrorism, refugees, trade, cyber security and maritime security, including China's assertiveness in the East and South China Seas, where Beijing has territorial disputes with Japan and several Southeast Asian nations.