Prime Minister Kishida will hold a summit meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the chair of the G7 = seven major countries, who will visit Japan from the 28th.
From the standpoint of taking over the Presidency next year, it is expected to confirm the policy of close cooperation between the two countries over the response to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.
Germany's Prime Minister Olaf Scholz, the chair of the G7, will visit Japan for the first time from the 28th to the 2nd day after taking office, and will hold a summit meeting with Prime Minister Kishida on the afternoon of the 28th.
At the meeting, the two leaders are expected to share a sense of crisis that Russia's military invasion of Ukraine has shaken the foundations of the international order and confirm its policy of working closely.
Germany, the chair of the G7, and Japan, which will take over that position next year, will strengthen their ties.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Kishida said, "Free and Open India" with Germany, which is strengthening its involvement in the region, keeping in mind that China is strengthening its supremacy behavior centered on the Indo-Pacific region. We also want to strengthen cooperation toward the realization of the Pacific Ocean.
Following the meeting with Prime Minister Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister Kishida will visit Southeast Asia and Europe during the long holidays.
He also wants to hold a quad summit in Japan later next month, which is the framework of the four countries of Japan, the United States, Australia and India, and shares universal values such as freedom and democracy through active summit diplomacy. I would like to unite with each country.
What is Prime Minister Olaf Scholz?
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who will be visiting Japan, took office last December as the successor to Mr. Merkel, who led Germany for 16 years.
He was mayor of Hamburg, Germany's second largest city, and since 2018 he has also served as Treasury and Deputy Prime Minister under Merkel's administration, praising his high working ability and solidity. rice field.
In September last year, in the election of the federal parliament, which is the lower house of the parliament, the center-left Social Democratic Party was led to the first party, and a coalition government was established by the green party with environmental policy in the foreground and the liberal democratic party with an emphasis on the market economy. bottom.
When Russia began a military invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Olaf Scholz changed the attitude of Germany, which had been cautious about providing weapons to conflict areas, and decided to provide anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.
It was also pointed out that his presence was weaker than that of former Chancellor Merkel, but his hard-line stance toward Russia has been praised, and opinion polls have raised his approval rating.
He visited the United States this February to meet with President Biden, but this was his first visit to Asia as Prime Minister and he chose Japan as his first visit.
The aim of Prime Minister Olaf Scholz's visit to Japan
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is busy coordinating opinions within the coalition government over difficult issues such as how military support should be for Ukraine, which is being invaded by Russian troops, and how to break away from energy dependence on Russia.
Under these circumstances, Prime Minister Olaf Scholz's visit to Japan seems to be aimed at promoting the strengthening of relations with Japan, which is the only G7 member from Asia as the presidency of the G7 = seven major countries.
Behind this is the existence of China.
In Germany, former Prime Minister Merkel has visited China more than Japan, and the stance of emphasizing China has been conspicuous. In the last 20 years, the total trade value of exports and imports has increased nearly eight times.
However, in recent years, due to human rights issues in China and the advance into the ocean, there is a growing sense of caution in Germany.
Under these circumstances, some governments have said that relations with Japan and other countries should be further strengthened in order to review and diversify the policies that focus on China in economic relations in Asia.
Germany also called a Navy vessel to Tokyo for the first time in about 20 years last November, but there is a growing belief that China should be taken into consideration in terms of security cooperation with Japan.
In response to the situation in Ukraine, Germany has changed its stance of being cautious about providing weapons to conflict areas, and is providing military support such as providing anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.
However, while there are some cautious voices in Germany about the provision of weapons, it is believed that Prime Minister Olaf Scholz wants to cooperate with Japan toward the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Whether Prime Minister Olaf Scholz will be able to pave the way for developing economic and security relations with Japan through this visit, and how far he will take a stance of cooperating with Japan toward Russia and China, which are becoming more cautious. It will be the focus.
Turns to a tough stance against Russia
Germany's Scholz administration has turned to a harsh stance against Russia, which has invaded Ukraine, and is in step with Western countries as the chair of the G7 = seven major countries, and military support to Ukraine. We are working to reduce the dependence of energy on Russia.
Since the reflection of World War II, Germany has emphasized pacifism and has maintained a stance centered on diplomacy and dialogue.
Before the Russian invasion, the Schorz administration limited its support to Ukraine by providing military helmets, but after the invasion, it changed its policy to anti-tank weapons and the portable surface-to-air missile "Stinger". Announced that it will be provided.
On the 19th of this month, Prime Minister Olaf Scholz announced that Ukraine will take over the cost of procuring anti-tank weapons from German companies, and plans to strengthen military support.
Germany has also relied on Russia for natural gas, oil and coal, but after the invasion, it has been rushing to secure new sources of energy by promoting energy “de-Russia” efforts.
On the 25th of last month, the Scholz administration said that coal and oil are expected to break away from dependence, saying that companies are moving to change their procurement sources.
For natural gas, which accounted for 55% of imports before the invasion and was particularly dependent, we aim to significantly reduce imports from Russia by mid-2024 next year.
LNG = liquefied natural gas is being considered as an alternative. Last month, a minister in charge of energy policy visited Qatar, one of the world's leading LNG exporters, and called for strengthening relations in the energy field.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany, which plays a central role in the EU-European Union, has been forced to change important national policies such as securing energy and security in Europe. Since the inauguration of the month, there has been an important phase in which skill is tested.
Japanese expert “Support for Ukraine Main theme”
Regarding Germany's Prime Minister Olaf Scholz's visit to Japan, Professor Yuichi Morii of the University of Tokyo, who specializes in German politics, said that the purpose was to coordinate for the G7 summit = summit of seven major countries to be held in Germany next month. He points out that support for Ukraine, where the military invasion by Germany continues, will be the main theme.
Professor Morii said, "Support for Ukraine will continue for a long time, such as reconstruction. Since Japan and Germany are close to each other in the G7, we will provide support, finance, finance, etc. in non-military fields. I think we will discuss what kind of framework we will use, including that, "he said, saying that there is a desire to keep pace between Japan and Germany, where military support is difficult.
On that basis, regarding the impact of the situation in Ukraine on the relationship between Japan and Germany, "Germany has begun to make a major shift to territorial defense and defense of sovereign states after Russia's military invasion. Until now, Japan has been in a tense state in East Asia. It was a cold reaction even if I complained about it, but now I can share a sense of crisis. In the future, it is possible that discussions will deepen in some way and head for new developments. " And.
Furthermore, regarding economic cooperation with Japan, "In order to revitalize the economy stagnated due to the influence of the new coronavirus, we will create a comprehensive framework in fields such as medical products, decarbonization, and digitization, and cooperate with each other. It will be a big point to make. "
German expert "Signal that Japan is the main partner"
Regarding the fact that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz chose Japan as the first country to visit in Asia after taking office, Dr. Alexandra Sakaki of the "German International Security Institute" who is familiar with Germany's Asian policy said, "China will visit in addition to Japan. It should have been possible, but it wasn't. It's a signal that Japan is the main partner for Germany today. "
He added, "In the last few years, a drastic reconsideration of relations with China has been carried out. Japan is positioned as a partner to deepen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region in order to diversify diplomatic relations." It is said that the Schorz administration is showing the importance of Japan because of the human rights issue and the sense of caution about the advance into the ocean.
Regarding the summit meeting with Prime Minister Kishida, "The response to the war in Ukraine will be the center of the discussion. How to increase the pressure on Russia and curb the rise in energy and food prices. China is below the expectations of the European side. I think we will also discuss the role of the Prime Minister. "
Regarding the future relationship between Japan and Germany, he said, "I think we will move to a closer relationship. The challenge to the existing order by China and Russia is a common concern, and we need to start discussions." This problem can only be solved with a common approach, and the challenge is to share awareness. " He points out that closer cooperation is important so that the pace is not disturbed.