Germany and Japan pledge to strengthen economic and defense ties.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held government consultations in Tokyo and agreed to strengthen economic and defense ties to better cope with China's growing influence and global security concerns. They discussed deepening economic and national security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as China's assertiveness in pressing its maritime territorial claims and its closer ties with Russia. They also agreed to strengthen supply chains in minerals, semiconductors, batteries, and other strategic areas to counter economic coercion and state-led attempts to illegally acquire technology.