Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said on Monday that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi drank no alcohol at a gathering at her official residence on the night of a G7 leaders' online meeting she did not attend, and that the meeting's time was fixed only just before it began.
Kihara spoke at a press conference on the 9th, restating the government's account of why Takaichi missed the October 2 call. Takaichi met with Liberal Democratic Party executives at the official residence that evening.
Kihara said the prime minister was keeping herself ready in case the agenda expanded and her attendance became necessary. "She drank no alcohol at all at the meeting with party executives at the official residence that night," he said.
A schedule changed at short notice
Kihara also explained how the date of the meeting changed at the last minute. He said French President Emmanuel Macron announced at a September 18 press conference that a G7 leaders' meeting would be held in the coming weeks.
France then contacted Japan on October 1 to propose an online meeting for the following week, on October 8. The next day, October 2, France asked for the meeting to be held that same day instead.
"The specific time was finalized only immediately before the meeting," Kihara said.
When the start time was suddenly fixed, Takaichi's participation was considered. But the notice came too late for the administrative preparations, including the equipment and contractors needed for a G7 leaders' online meeting, Kihara said.
Kazuyuki Endo, a deputy foreign minister, attended in her place from Washington DC, where he was staying at the time.
Kihara stressed that the government's position on close coordination with the G7 has not changed. He noted that Takaichi has held a summit with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and a leaders' telephone call with Macron in the past week.
"The prime minister values relations with G7 leaders from the standpoint of Japan's national interest," he said.