MUNSTER -- Japan and Germany confirmed Thursday that the two countries will deepen security and defense cooperation in consideration of China's increasingly hegemonic moves.
The two governments held a two-plus-two meeting Thursday in Munster, western Germany, where the foreign and defense ministers of the two nations agreed to arrange the start of negotiations on an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement. The agreement is intended to allow the sharing of food, fuel and other supplies for the smooth execution of joint exercises and disaster rescue operations.
The latest meeting was the two countries' second two-plus-two meeting after the first was held online in April 2021. Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock attended the meeting in person while Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and his German counterpart Christine Lambrecht participated online. The ministers also decided to make arrangements to hold two-plus-two meetings regularly, at a pace of one a year.
