The defense ministers of Japan and Germany have agreed to seek a legal framework to promote cooperation between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the German military.
Japanese Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu met his visiting German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, for about 30 minutes in Tokyo on Saturday.
Upon welcoming Pistorius, Hamada said it was the first time in 16 years that Germany's Federal Minister of Defence had visited Japan.
Hamada highly appraised Germany's determination to actively contribute to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region, which was best illustrated by the deployment of the German Navy frigate Bayern in 2021 and a fleet of Air Force Eurofighters in 2022.
The two ministers agreed to coordinate closely to realize future deployments of the German military to the Indo-Pacific region, as well as joint exercises.
They also agreed to seek a legal framework to facilitate cooperation under the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, or ACSA.
The agreement allows Japan's SDF and German military to reciprocally provide supplies, such as food and fuel, as well as telecommunication and transportation services.