Germany and Japan intend to expand cooperation in the economic sphere. “Russian invasion of Ukraine showed what difficulties arise with a strong economic dependencies in critical areas. The consequence of this should be the expansion of cooperation with new partners and the acquisition of new partners,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Saturday, March 18.
“We want to reduce dependencies and increase the resilience of our national economies,” Scholz said, describing the relationship between Germany and Japan both intimate and friendly. He called Japan a “central significant partner” for Germany. “The first German-Japanese governmental consultations will take bilateral relations to a new level,” Scholz said.
First bilateral government consultations
During his visit to Japan, Scholz is accompanied by German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock (Annalena Baerbock) and Transport Minister Volker Wissing.
The talks with the Japanese premier covered a wide range of issues, including the protection of critical infrastructure, energy security guarantees, the preservation of supply chains, the protection of trade routes, cybersecurity cooperation and military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. Olaf Scholz noted that Japan is an example for his government in the field of providing raw materials own economy.
Economic ties between Germany and Japan are very close. Last year, the volume of bilateral trade amounted to 45.7 billion euros – 9.6 percent more than a year earlier. As a result, Japan is Germany’s second most important trading partner in Asia after China. Japan currently holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) countries.
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