Ministers of the United States and Japan who attended the diplomatic and defense ministers’ meeting (2+2) between the United States and Japan held in Tokyo on the 16th of last month. From left, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of State Tony Blingen, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi. Tokyo = Reuters Yonhap News
Japan decided to hold the first diplomatic and defense ministers (2+2) talks with Germany. Japan, which has strengthened relations with the Indo-Pacific countries such as ASEAN (Southeast Asian Nations) and Australia, focusing on economic and security issues, has set out to pursue all-round diplomacy in Europe as well.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 5th, the Japanese and German governments decided to hold a meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense in the middle of this month via video. From the Japanese side, Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo (岸信夫) will participate, and from the German side, Foreign Minister Haiko Mars and Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karenbauer will participate. It is known that the specific date of the event is being discussed around the 16th, when the US-Japan summit is held.
Similar to the US-Japan 2+2 conference held on the 16th of last month, the 2+2 conference with Germany also addressed cooperation in security and cooperation to realize the’free and open India-Pacific’, a multilateral strategy proposed by Japan with China in mind. The newspaper said that it is expected to be discussed. The meeting is also expected to exchange opinions on the local situation, such as North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, the abduction of Japanese, and the Myanmar military’s crackdown on protests.
Both Germany and Japan have recently strengthened cooperation in the field of security. On the 22nd of last month, an information protection agreement was signed to enable the exchange of confidential information in the field of diplomacy and security, and it took effect immediately. Germany is planning to dispatch a Maritime Self-Defense Forces Frigate (small destroyer) this summer to support the’Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ initiative. At the 2+2 meeting, it was decided to coordinate the ship’s joint training with the Japanese port of call and the Self-Defense Forces.
Earlier, Germany has strengthened its involvement in the Indo-Pacific region by devising a new diplomatic strategy called the’India-Pacific Guidelines’ in September of last year. Japan is “a plan to further promote this movement within the EU by strengthening relations with Germany, a key country in the European Union,” the newspaper said.
In recent years, Japan has strengthened diplomatic and security cooperation with European countries beyond Asia and the Pacific. Japan is currently operating a ‘2+2′ conference with European countries such as the United Kingdom and France as well as India-Pacific countries such as the United States, Australia, Indonesia and Russia. Joint training was also conducted in which European countries such as France and the UK participated in the joint training with the US Navy. At the same time, as the rise and threat of China increases interest in the security of the Indo-Pacific region of European countries, cooperation between Japan and Europe is expected to continue to strengthen. The’Integrated Review’ of foreign and security policies released by the British government in March this year stated that the Indo-Pacific region “has become the world’s geopolitical center.”
Tokyo= Jinjoo Choi Correspondent [email protected]
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