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I read Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Comment about Japan's vision for the G7 Hiroshima Summit with great interest.1 However, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also published Comments before the G7 Ise-Shima Summit. Back in 2013 and 2015, Abe issued his remarks as the first incumbent Prime Minister of the G7.2, 3 What emerges from the two Comments is Abe's belief that promoting the international health sector as a diplomatic strategy would lead to a “proactive contribution to peace”.3 In particular, the 2015 Comment,3 which coincided with the formulation of the “basic design for peace and health”,4 sent a clear message with “a peaceful and healthier world” chosen as its title. Looking at Kishida's 2023 Comment,1 he used the term “human security” a lot, because of the decision made on three security-related documents last December to increase Japan's defence spending.5 He pointed out that universal health coverage (UHC) is essential to protect the country, stating: “Realising and sustaining UHC is crucial to improve people's health and provide the safety net that contributes to inclusive growth and the creation of peaceful and stable societies.” The drastic increase in Japan's defence budget has become a topical subject around the world. However, I engage in health-care support in a poor neighbourhood in Nairobi, Kenya, and I believe that people in need at the grassroots level do not wish for Japan to strengthen its military power at all. People in need are instead hoping to receive Japan's unique high-quality assistance, in the form of education and technical support.

in health-care support in a poor neighbourhood in Nairobi, Kenya, and I believe that people in need at the grassroots level do not wish for Japan to strengthen its military power at all. People in need are instead hoping to receive Japan's unique high-quality assistance, in the form of education and technical support. Japan was elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council at the UN General Assembly in January, 2023, and served as its President in January, the twelfth time since its admission to the UN in 1956, the most by any country in history.6 Japan has many opportunities to play an important role in coordinating efforts to halt the division of the world. Kishida, who is from Hiroshima—proclaimed a City of Peace by the Japanese parliament in 1949—should now begin to consider health policy for a peaceful and healthier world.