Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed Thursday to set up an intergovernmental panel involving the two leaders to further beef up their security ties, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine poses new security challenges to the West.
Kishida told a joint press conference after their meeting in Tokyo that they confirmed plans to hold the panel's first meeting next year. They pledged to oppose unilateral attempts to alter the status quo by force in the East and South China seas, where China has been intensifying maritime assertiveness.
"Currently, the international community is at a key juncture due to Russia's aggression on Ukraine and facing a crucial moment to put an end to it and recover peace, stability, and international order," Kishida said.
Scholz said the new security dialogue framework "will elevate Germany-Japan relations to a new level qualitatively."
Kishida and Scholz also renewed their commitment to promoting a "free and open Indo-Pacific," an initiative to counter China's growing influence in the region.
Replacing Angela Merkel, who served in the post for 16 years, Scholz became the German leader in December and is widely seen as taking a tougher line on China than his predecessor, who had promoted closer economic relations with Beijing.
Kishida welcomed Germany's greater interest and involvement in the Indo-Pacific region and said the two countries will work together closely to deal with various challenges, including their response to China.
They also vowed to strengthen their support for Ukraine along with "unprecedentedly strong sanctions on Russia."
Their first in-person meeting comes as Japan, Germany, and other Group of Seven major developed nations have been stepping up pressure on Moscow through a slew of economic sanctions over the ongoing war.
The punitive steps taken in response to the invasion from Feb. 24 include freezing the assets of President Vladimir Putin and the Russian central bank as well as excluding some major Russian lenders from a key international payment network known as SWIFT.
Scholz's visit to Japan is his first to an Asian nation as the German chancellor. The two-day trip through Friday also aims to prepare the ground for the annual G-7 summit Berlin will host from June 26 to 28 at Schloss Elmau, a castle resort in the Bavarian Alps.
Japan will take over the G-7 chairmanship from Germany next year.
