On August 18, Japan’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Iohannis, held a first strategic dialogue in Tokyo with the visiting German Foreign Minister, Mr. Wadefur, and agreed to promote “co-operation in the field of security” through defense equipment and technological cooperation. This is the latest case of increasing cooperation between Tokyo and Berlin in the military field in recent years. For this trend, many international media have focused on the historical experience of the two countries and the changes in the current international situation. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people’s war against Japan and the world’s war against fascism.
"Germany expands military cooperation with Japan", "Japan and Germany sign a military cooperation treaty" and "No more time can be wasted: Germany aims to strengthen its defense industry ties with Japan"... In recent years, such news reports have appeared on news websites of various countries from time to time, showing that Berlin and Tokyo are constantly approaching in the military field.
According to reports from "Deutsche Welle", Japan's Kyodo News Agency and other media, in March 2021, Germany and Japan signed the "Intelligence Protection Agreement." According to the agreement, Germany and Japan can provide each other with confidential information in the field of security. In April of this year, the two countries held a video conference between foreign ministers and defense ministers. This was the first time that "2+2" talks were held in Berlin and Tokyo. In November 2021, the German frigate HMS Bavaria and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted joint training in the Pacific Ocean south of Kanto, Japan, and then docked at the port of Tokyo. This is the second time that German ships have docked at a Japanese port in about 20 years. After boarding the ship for inspection, Japan's then-Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said that he would use this incident as a foothold to further develop Japan-Germany defense cooperation. Zorn, Director of the German Bundeswehr, emphasized that in the future, the German army will strengthen cooperation with the Japanese Self-Defense Force through joint training with the Japanese army. About a month later, the "Bavaria" sailed into the South China Sea. This was the first time in nearly 20 years that a German warship sailed into the South China Sea.
In 2022, German presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and other officials visited Japan, with then-German Prime Minister Schultz and Foreign Minister Belberg visiting Tokyo as their first trip to Asia since they took office. In March 2023, German Defense Minister Pistorius visited Tokyo to hold talks with then-Japanese Defence Minister Samba Yassani to agree on policies to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in defence equipment and technology.
In January 2024, Germany and Japan signed the "Agreement on Mutual Provision of Materials and Labor Services", which aims to promote material and logistical support, facilitate joint training between the two sides, and deepen cooperation in the field of defense. About four months later, Pistorius revealed that the German Army will visit Japan as soon as 2025 to conduct joint military exercises with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force. This will be the first official joint exercise between the two armies since World War II.