German president urges closer Japan relations amid mutual challenges

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday said he believes Germany and Japan are facing similar challenges amid a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape.

Steinmeier, who met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on the second day of his three-day visit to the country, called for closer cooperation, arguing security and prosperity in East Asia and Europe are closely intertwined.

“There are many things that are just as worrying here in Japan as they are here in Germany and Europe,” the German president said, citing Russia’s war against Ukraine and North Korea’s quest for a nuclear bomb as examples.

“It is therefore good and right that we are moving closer together, especially in times that we both judge to be difficult.”

This process, Steinmeier noted, is already under way, with German-Japanese government consultations held for the first time in 2023.

Meanwhile the two countries’ Defence Ministries have struck an agreement on mutual logistical assistance for their armed forces, he added.

Japanese premier Ishiba said German-Japanese relation have become “stronger than ever” since Steinmeier – whose role is largely ceremonial – took office in 2017.

He also said the big challenges facing the international community, noting that “Germany was an important partner.”

Steinmeier noted that Japan would also be represented at the NATO summit in The Hague next week, which will see the leaders of the Western defence alliance’s 32 member states descend upon the Dutch city to discuss raising military spending.

“We have gotten closer. We have similar concerns. And that is why it is good that we are cooperating further and even more closely than in the past,” the German president said.

Steinmeier arrived in Japan on Wednesday and met with Emperor Naruhito.

Source: dpa