On April 13 local time, Japan and Germany held “2 + 2” online talks between their foreign ministers and defense ministers. During the talks, Japan proposed to hold a joint naval exercise after a German frigate arrived in Asia in August this year. Germany agreed to hold further talks on this in the future.
According to Reuters report on April 13, Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi held a video conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on the same day, mainly discussing defense cooperation issues such as intelligence sharing, arms procurement and technology transfer. The Japanese government claimed in a statement that this is the first time the two countries have held such “2 + 2” talks.
According to Kyodo news agency, at the meeting, Japan proposed that in addition to cooperating with the joint exercise of the self defense forces dispatched by Germany, Japan and Germany would also jointly carry out vigilance and surveillance activities against the transfer of materials by North Korean ships at sea. Motegi said that he welcomed Germany’s plan to send ships and Germany’s policy on the Indian Ocean Pacific region.
MAS pointed out that it is very important for Japan and Germany to have close bilateral dialogue and maintain close ties in defense policy. Kyodo News Agency reported that at the meeting, the Japanese and German governments confirmed that they would cooperate to realize the so-called “free and open Indian Pacific” concept.
On March 22,Toshimitsu Motegi and German ambassador to Japan ina leper signed an agreement on military intelligence protection in Tokyo, it is reported.
According to Annie Gretel, the agreement is crucial to a truly valuable cooperation between the two technological powers.
For Germany, the agreement is conducive to increasing its participation in Asian affairs. In September last year, Germany adjusted its foreign policy, drafted guidelines for foreign affairs and trade in the Indian Ocean Pacific region, and sought to enhance its presence in Asia in the field of security. German officials say Germany will send a frigate to Asia in August.
