Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara declined to say when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was told the start time of the G7 online summit she skipped, calling it a matter of "diplomatic exchanges" — leaving unanswered how a scheduling slip became a question of credibility.
Kihara said the timing had shifted several times before it was finally fixed. "The concrete time changed on a number of occasions, and it was right before the meeting that we finally had a clear outlook," he told reporters.
He said he could not go beyond that. "Anything more detailed than this becomes a diplomatic exchange, so I have to refrain," he said.
Takaichi's explanation to the Diet
Takaichi told the Diet the time was confirmed just before the October 2 meeting. The large display needed for the online session was not ready, she said.
Before the online meeting began, she had held a dinner with senior Liberal Democratic Party officials. During the meeting's time slot she was at the prime minister's residence writing her policy speech, she said.
Kihara was asked when France, which hosted the meeting, had notified Japan of the start time. He did not answer, citing "diplomatic exchanges."