Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Germany on Friday, July 12 and held talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The two leaders agreed to enhance security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region to counter the increasing military threats from China in the region.
Kishida stated, “Due to the actions of China (the CCP) and North Korea, the security environment in the Indo-Pacific region is facing greater threats. Germany and Japan share similar values, and the cooperation between the two countries is becoming increasingly important.”
Scholz also mentioned that despite the distance between the two countries, Japan and Germany have “many similarities.” The leaders of both countries agreed to hold a “2+2” security meeting for defense and foreign ministers in Japan soon.
The meeting between the two leaders took place as the Japan-Germany Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) came into effect on Friday. This agreement simplifies the process for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the German military to share food, fuel, and ammunition.
Japanese officials indicated that a German frigate is scheduled to dock in a Japanese port this summer, while a training squadron of the Maritime Self-Defense Force plans to visit Hamburg in northern Germany.
Prior to visiting Germany, Kishida attended the 75th NATO summit.
During the meeting with Scholz, Kishida expressed “serious concerns” about the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, which Scholz stated as “clearly violating United Nations sanctions.”
Japan considers the escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait as one of the most serious security challenges. China regards democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and threatens to use force if necessary to achieve reunification.
In the Berlin talks, Kishida and Scholz stated that both Japan and Germany are concerned about China’s use of massive subsidies to produce electric vehicles and other key products. They decided to establish an economic security framework.
In terms of economic security, the two leaders also discussed how to cooperate in strengthening a free and fair global trade order, while confirming their joint efforts in enhancing cooperation in hydrogen, semiconductors, and critical mineral supply chains.
Earlier this week, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced that Germany will gradually phase out key components of 5G technology from Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE in two stages starting from 2026.
By the end of 2029, Germany aims to completely eliminate all Chinese 5G technology nationwide with the agreement aimed at protecting German national security from threats posed by the CCP.