Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio became the first Japanese prime minister in seven years to visit Germany for a summit. As the inseparability of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security becomes more apparent, it has become increasingly important for Japan and Germany to enhance their cooperation and partnership to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law.
Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In July 2024, Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio visited Berlin after attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Washington, D.C., for a summit meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. During the meeting, they discussed ways to further deepen and strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
Their first topic of discussion regarding the Japan-Germany relationship was cooperation in security and defense. Prime Minister Kishida pointed out that cooperation between the two countries in those fields has been progressing in recent years, as Germany has been strengthening its involvement in the Indo-Pacific. The two leaders also confirmed that their governments would prepare to hold the next meeting of the “2+2” (both countries’ foreign and defense ministers) as soon as possible, in order to further strengthen cooperation in the field of security and defense, utilizing the framework.
Prime Minister Kishida also stated that the first round of the Japan-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations, held in Tokyo in March 2023, was an important step in opening a new page in the bilateral relations. The two leaders confirmed that they would coordinate to hold the next meeting in Germany as early as next year, with the participation of relevant ministers from both countries.
Japan and Germany share commonalities in industrial structure and advanced technologies, and the two leaders both recognized that cooperation in economic security, trade, and investment is important for maintaining and expanding a free and fair international economic order. They also confirmed the establishment of a bilateral framework for consultations in the field of economic security. Prime Minister Kishida welcomed joint private-sector progress in strategically important sectors such as hydrogen, clean energy, semiconductors and critical mineral resources, as well as ongoing shared efforts to promote startup entry. The two leaders also confirmed that they would strengthen cooperation in areas such as the development of Beyond 5G/6G, cyber, and the formation of international rules on AI, and shared their expectations for further intellectual exchanges and the recognition of the importance of continued strong support for Ukraine.
Prime Minister Kishida paid a courtesy call on President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during his visit to Germany.
At the joint press conference following the meeting, Prime Minister Kishida said, “The international community now faces serious challenges, including Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, and it is becoming increasingly clear that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are inseparable. Against that backdrop, as we work to uphold and reinforce the free and open international order based on the rule of law, cooperation and collaboration between Japan and Germany are becoming all the more important. In the summit meeting, with this awareness of the issues in mind, Olaf and I agreed we would further reinforce bilateral collaboration and cooperation between Japan and Germany.”
Regarding his visit to Germany, Prime Minister Kishida contributed an article to the German newspaper Handelsblatt. In addition to noting the importance of bilateral efforts to position economic security as part of the national security strategy, he wrote: “Within our history of Japan-Germany bilateral exchanges that surpasses 160 years, never before has there been a time when the very foundation of the bonds linking our two nations, namely freedom, fundamental human rights, and the rule of law, has been as critically important as it is now.”
The summit provided an opportunity to reaffirm the role that both countries must play and the importance of working together to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law.
Prime Minister Kishida receiving the salute of the guards of honor in Berlin.
