Japan and Germany have agreed to further enhance trade and defense cooperation, including through a new economic security consultation framework, as the partners continue to align their strategic interests to tackle what they say are mounting challenges to the international order.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed on the new high-level consultation mechanism during Kishida’s first visit to Germany as Japan’s leader Friday. The visit was the first visit by a Japanese prime minister since 2017.
The new framework — apparently aimed at deterring coercive actions by China — is meant to deepen policy coordination on a range of issues. These include protecting emerging technologies, strengthening supply chains for key goods such as hydrogen, critical minerals and semiconductors. It will also promote cooperation in fields such as artificial intelligence, cyber and next-generation information and communications infrastructure.