TOKYO: Japan has objected to the idea of adding South Korea to the G-7 summit, saying Seoul's stand on China and North Korean issues differs from other members.
Diplomatic sources said the message was conveyed by a high-level Japanese government official to US President Donald Trump after he broached the idea of inviting Australia, India, Russia and South Korea to this year's summit.
Japan's move to oppose is likely to upset Seoul and could further sour Tokyo-Seoul ties, already overshadowed by disputes over wartime history and other issues, reports Kyodo News.
For Japan, South Korea's inclusion would mean losing its leverage and status as the sole Asian member of the G-7, which also brings together Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.
According to the sources, Japanese officials have pointed out South Korea's perceived pro-China policy as problematic, apparently with the US' current confrontational approach to China in mind.
South Korea has also strived to boost inter-Korean relations although the US has not budged from its stance of maintaining sanctions on Pyongyang during talks to denuclearise North Korea, which have stalled for months.
Sources also said that the Japanese government has refrained from publicly expressing its opposition to South Korea's participation, thinking that the G-7 expansion proposal may be just "a thought" of Trump that could fizzle out.
Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga had previously said that the G-7 is an important framework for coordination in tackling global challenges.
Meanwhile, some members such as Canada have expressed opposition to Russia's return to the G-7 forum.
Russia, which was a member of the then G-8, was dropped from the framework following its annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Trump has been unclear on exactly when he plans to hold the G-7 summit after postponing it from June.
He had said that it could take place in September or even after the November presidential elections.
While it is up to the holder of the rotating G-7 presidency to decide which countries to invite as guests to the summit, changing the format on a permanent basis would require the consent of all members.
Japan would not object to South Korea merely taking part in an outreach session of the G-7 meeting, the sources said.