On 18 August 2025, Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya hosted Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul for the first Japan–Germany Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue in Tokyo. This included a formal meeting where both countries underscored the growing importance of bilateral cooperation as global challenges intensify. Tokyo and Berlin affirmed that the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are increasingly interconnected, agreeing to deepen security dialogue, strengthen cooperation in cyber and economic security, and convene early “2+2” and follow-up ministerial dialogues. The meeting holds substantive diplomatic value and must be understood as more than a routine diplomatic exercise. It is a development that underscores how middle powers with economic heft and normative weight are choosing to adapt to a crumbling global order. As key G7 democracies and leading economies in their respective regions, Japan and Germany are reaffirming their strategic alignment amid growing global uncertainties.
The Japan–Germany Compact (Pratnashree Basu – Observer Research Foundation)
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