Japan and Germany have agreed to further strengthen trade and defense cooperation, including through a new economic security consultation framework, as the partners continue to align their strategic interests to address what they say are growing 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 on Friday. The visit was the first by a Japanese prime minister since 2017.
The new framework โ apparently aimed at deterring coercive measures by China โ is intended 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 foster cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber and next-generation information and communications infrastructure.