Adam Durbin
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

This is the second G7 summit to be dominated by the invasion of Ukraine and overnight, Russia's aerial assault campaign continued.

Air raid alerts were earlier declared around Ukraine for about an hour, with reports of explosions in several cities.

Officials said Russian warplanes were in the air and warned of a threat of air strikes - including from hypersonic Khinzal missiles - to all regions of the country.

A large number of drones have also targeted the capital Kyiv, the head of the local civilian military administration said.

Serheii Popko said all the drones have been shot down, adding that the Kremlin was attempting to exhaust Ukraine's air defence by sending Iranian-made Shahed drones to attack in waves.

There have been no reports of casualties or major infrastructure damage so far from the attacks.

So far in May, Russia has carried out four mass launches - two of them between 16 and 18 May alone - compared to one each in April and March, and two in February.

But Ukraine also appears to be successfully shooting down many of Russia's missiles and drones with air defence systems.

All of the leaders are now at the Hiroshima Peace Park memorial site, and have entered the museum.

Kishida had insisted the leaders not only visit the memorials but also the museum, which documents the devastation caused by the atomic bomb in WW2.

Tessa Wong
in Hiroshima

Image source, EPA

A steady procession of leaders have turned up at the Peace Memorial Park, and the last was the most important VIP of them all - US President Joe Biden.

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida visibly perked up with Biden's arrival, and was all smiles as he greeted his close ally.

After shaking hands and posing for a photo, Biden slowly walked down the red carpet holding hands with his wife Jill. He was accompanied by Kishida, who was seen gesturing animatedly as he chatted with Biden.

Here are some of the first pictures of the G7 leaders arriving at the site and being greeted by Japan's leader.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Japan’s choice of Hiroshima as the host city for the G7 summit highlights the peace-building theme of the gathering.

It was in Hiroshima in August 1945 that the US dropped the world’s first atomic bomb in WW2 fighting, killing and maiming hundreds of thousands of people and causing utter devastation.

Reminders of that historic tragedy still stand in the city, including a riverside dome that was the only structure left standing in the city after the bomb.

The G7 leaders are visiting that site this morning, where a giant clock counts the number of days that have passed since the world saw its last nuclear test.

Hiroshima is also the hometown of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. His office has said the G7 envisions a world free of nuclear weapons - and disarmament is likely to be a topic he'll push.

The summit comes as Western leaders warn Russia against using nuclear weapons in war and North Korea has ramped up its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons testing.

Tessa Wong
in Hiroshima

World leaders are now starting to gather at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, where it has been raining relentlessly since early morning.

It is a wet and grey start to this morning's programme. Leaders will lay wreaths at the memorial to honour the thousands who died in the WW2 nuclear bomb attack on Hiroshima.

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko are standing in the middle of a very long (and sodden) red carpet, greeting leaders as they walk in before they are escorted to the memorial museum sheltered by umbrellas.

So far we have seen European Union president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council president Charles Michel, British PM Rishi Sunak and Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni.

The entire park, which sits in the centre of Hiroshima, has been cordoned off and is closely guarded by a huge security presence. Thousands of police officers were pulled in from various prefectures and have been patrolling the streets for the last few days.

Leaders of the G7 countries have started arriving at their first engagement of the day - at the Hiroshima Peace Park Memorial.

They are being welcomed by Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Last year’s meeting in Germany’s Bavaria took place just months after Russia invaded Ukraine - and unsurprisingly it was an issue that dominated the agenda.

G7 leaders said they were “appalled” by the “brutal, unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression” launched by Russia, and aided by Belarus.

They promised to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine “for as long as it takes”. As we've seen this morning, the US and the EU have already flagged further sanctions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed last year's summit via video-link, where he asked for more weapons and said he hoped the war would be over “before winter sets in”. He is expected to address this weekend's meeting too.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Pool

Most of the leaders arrived in Hiroshima on Thursday and some have already had one-on-one meetings.

But here's how the first official day is expected to unfold.

The leaders are set to shortly visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial - the only building left standing in the area of the city where the first atomic bomb exploded in August 1945.

They will then have a working lunch at the Grand Hotel, where talks will focus on the global economy and regional affairs such as the war in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific.

Day one wraps up with an evening visit to a shrine, before dinner at Miyajima Island.

As with last year, we can expect conversations around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to be among those top of the agenda.

Another priority will be ensuring what the leaders call a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, particularly in the face of growing tensions with China.

The G7 will hold broad discussions on climate change, the health of the global economy, inflation and food security as they assess the impact of the Ukraine war.

Other issues likely to be discussed nuclear disarmament - notably in the face of threats by Vladimir Putin.

The G7 (Group of Seven) is an organisation of the world's seven largest so-called "advanced" economies - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Throughout the year, G7 ministers and officials hold meetings, form agreements and publish joint statements on global events.

Japan took over the G7 presidency from Germany in 2023, meaning it will host a number of meetings throughout the year, most notably the annual summit.

The EU is not a member of the G7 but attends the annual summit, while representatives from countries including Australia, Brazil, South Korea and India have also been invited.

Russia was expelled from the group - previously known as the G8 - in 2014 in response to its annexation of Crimea.

Hello and thanks for joining our live coverage of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan.

The G7 is a club of rich allied nations - the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

This year’s summit comes as the war in Ukraine drags on and tensions increase between the US and China. Both issues are certain to dominate discussions.

We’ll be bringing you all the biggest news updates, and analysis too from our correspondents in Hiroshima and across the globe.