Japan picks Osaka to host G20 summit in 2019
Government sources said the summit date was being arranged for sometime in late June or early July
Japan has picked the western city of Osaka to host next year’s G20 summit, the first such gathering to be held in Japan.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the decision based on the western Japan city’s successful hosting of the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in 1995, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.
The government also “comprehensively took into consideration such factors as the number of hotel rooms and security aspects,” the top government spokesman said at a press conference.
Government sources earlier said the summit was being arranged for sometime between late June and early July, but Suga said the government has not finalised the meeting’s schedule.
The government has also picked the southwestern city of Fukuoka as the venue for the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors, he said.
The city of Osaka as well as Osaka Prefecture jointly submitted a proposal to the Japan’s Foreign Ministry in November last year to host the summit at the Intex Osaka convention centre.
Osaka officials made the case to the central government that a successful G20 would help its bid to host the World Expo in 2025 by boosting its international recognition.
This year’s summit is to be held in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.
The G20 summit will bring together leaders from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
Reuters, Kyodo
