Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has welcomed world leaders at the Shinto religion's holiest site ahead of a G7 summit, Euronews reports.
The Ise Grand Shrine was chosen by the premier in the hope of providing an insight into the heart of Japanese culture.
The G7 group is comprised of the US, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, although Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is also attending the meeting representing the European Union.
Junker is expected to call for solidarity regarding the migration issue and recognition that it is a global problem in need of funding from leading industrialized countries.
G7 leaders are also to discuss the health of the world's economy and China's maritime assertiveness.
A recent Pentagon report stated China had reclaimed more than 3,200 acres of land in the south-eastern part of the South China Sea, and had weaponized islands in a bid to build a deterrent capability in the region.
US officials fear China could be preparing to enforce an air-defense identification zone over the South China Sea, similar to the one it had established over the disputed Senkaku Islands in 2013.
By the end of the summit on Friday, the leaders are also due to promote monetary, fiscal and structural policies to boost growth.
US President Barack Obama's main focus will be his visit to Hiroshima, the site of the world's first atomic attack. The purpose of that stop will be to highlight reconciliation between the two former World War Two enemies.
