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HIROSHIMA, Japan – They came miles and hours away. They saw and contemplated the sobering and spectacular sights that the area has to offer.
And they took photos. Lots and lots of photos.
While the Group of Seven’s three-day summit here includes an in-depth discussion of the world’s most intractable problems, it can sometimes seem as if these powerful world leaders do little more than step in front of a camera.
They pose with each other every few hours, in different settings and different arrangements.
Shortly after arriving here on Thursday, before he even got to his hotel, Biden posed for a photo with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in front of a ballroom before their meeting.
The next morning, Kishida greeted him again for another photo of each of her wives taking a stroll together at Peace Memorial Park, a site dedicated to the victims of the atomic bomb dropped by the United States in 1945.
A few minutes later there was a series of photos with all the G-7 heads of state and government, first walking together. Then they each laid a wreath. Then they shoveled earth to plant a tree.
Later that evening they reconvened and again posed for group photos. They stood at Itsukushima Shrine, a Shinto sacred site, walked through the stunning complex and stopped at a wooden walkway overlooking the ceremonial Torri Gate in the shallow sea.
They paused to take photos and then stayed, chatting and laughing.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz strolled to the end of the jetty, but nobody followed him and he came back. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was heard exclaiming how “beautiful” it all was.
The leaders then headed over to listen to traditional music before heading out and admiring the sights. Biden chatted with Trudeau.
The photo meetings are one of the few windows at international summits where the heads of state and government are on public display and the body language and personality traits of each head of state are clearly visible. Their conversations, which usually take place behind closed doors, can be overheard, albeit for a short time.
During a photo session at a NATO summit in 2017, President Donald Trump made international headlines after physically pushing aside Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic as leaders took position.
Among the most colorful – some would say unfortunate – photos are the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summits, where leaders traditionally pose for “family photos” in sometimes garish shirts, representing the host country. This tradition has sometimes been referred to as the “silly shirt photo,” and various world leaders have attempted to abolish it, but the practice persists.
APEC’s “silly shirts” – the tradition that won’t go away
Even without brightly colored clothing, the throng of powerful leaders, each accustomed to being the center of attention, can be awkward — or just plain weird — when preparing for photos. At last year’s G-7 summit, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson joked about how the assembled leaders could intimidate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Jackets on? take off jackets? Shall we undress?” Johnson asked as leaders prepared for the informal photo ahead of their midday meeting.
“We all have to show that we are tougher than Putin,” joked the British head of state at the summit in Germany’s Schloss Elmau.
“We’re going to have a shirtless equestrian display,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quipped, referring to the Russian president’s penchant for posting photos of himself outdoors and sometimes shirtless, including on horseback.
“Here we go! Here we go! We have to show them our chests!” Johnson added.
There was less of that hilarity here, at least in front of the cameras and since last year’s main initiator – Johnson – was no longer in power.
On Saturday, when the camera batteries were undoubtedly charged, there were more chances for more photos.
Biden arrived at the Grand Prince Hotel, where the G-7 summit is taking place, around noon and leaders gathered outside, with Hiroshima Bay and green mountains in the background and gunboats in the water.
Biden stood between Kishida and Scholz. Several leaders waved, noting how bright it was outside. French President Emmanuel Macron gave the thumbs up.
Two minutes after they entered, they were gone. Another photo in the books.
But five hours later it was time for something else. It was taken at the same location with larger gunboats and additional demonstrators.
The leaders were asked to line up by country to take their assigned place on the ramp. Biden chatted with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and apparently heard nothing as “United States” was shouted several times.
“Joe!” Trudeau finally yelled and went over to get his American counterpart.
Biden smiled widely, showing his teeth. Macron smiled tighter, lips pressed together.
After the photos were taken, Biden stayed with Macron. They hug each other. They talked at length and left the stage, arms wrapped around each other once more.
Three hours later it was time for another photo.