Japan-Germany Summit in Tokyo: Takaichi and Merz Issue Joint Leaders' Statement, Launch High-Level Dialogue on Super Intelligence (SI)
Japan's Prime Minister's Office announced on October 28 that Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae held a summit meeting of about 30 minutes in Tokyo with Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany, who is visiting Japan, followed by a joint press announcement, exchanges with the German economic delegation and Japanese business representatives, and a working dinner. The two leaders issued the Japan-Germany Joint Leaders' Statement, the Joint Declaration on Advanced Technology Cooperation and the Joint Declaration on Economic Security Cooperation.
Takaichi described Japan and Germany, nations that have together contributed to the peace and stability of the international community, as 'Premium Partners', and Merz responded that, despite the geographical distance, the two countries share so much in common that calling each other neighbours would not be an overstatement. The leaders concurred on strengthening security and defence cooperation, including exploring frameworks to deepen force interoperability and promoting defence industry cooperation. On advanced technology, they welcomed public-private initiatives in fields including fusion and hydrogen, welcomed the launch of the Japan-Germany High-Level Dialogue on super intelligence (SI), and concurred on advancing coordination toward hosting an SI Summit in Japan.
On economic security, the leaders agreed to strengthen supply chain resilience, including diversifying critical minerals supply sources, protect critical technologies and maintain a rules-based international economic order, expressing serious concern over economic coercion such as arbitrary export restrictions on critical minerals and rejecting non-market policies that give rise to excess capacity. Takaichi conveyed Japan's strong concerns regarding the EU's Industrial Accelerator Act and called for an appropriate response, and the two leaders confirmed the importance of taking each other's interests into consideration in industrial support measures. Merz invited Japan to participate as a partner country at Hannover Messe 2028, which Takaichi said she would be pleased to accept. On Ukraine, the leaders shared the view that they would continue to cooperate closely for a just and lasting peace.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 德国柏林国会大厦。Jürgen Matern 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Jürgen Matern, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
