(Press Release: Provisional Translation)
March 22, 2026
Ministry of Defense Japan
On 22 March 2026, from 13:25 to 14:30 (approximately 65 minutes), Minister of Defense Koizumi welcomed H.E. Boris Pistorius, Federal Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany in Yokosuka, where the Japan–Germany Defense Ministerial Meeting was held.
- At the outset, Minister Koizumi stated that, amid the rapidly and dramatically changing global security environment, in order to address challenges facing the international community and to strengthen deterrence in the region, it is more important than ever for the two countries to work closely together. Minister Pistorius expressed views to the same effect. To this end, they concurred that when necessary to ensure the security of both countries and peace and stability in the region, Japan and Germany would consult with each other and consider appropriate responses, and that they would conduct the necessary consultations on a regular basis to this end.
- Furthermore, the two ministers welcomed the steady expansion of bilateral defense cooperation and exchanges across all three services—land, maritime, and air—including the goodwill visit to Germany last September by JASDF F‑15 fighter aircraft as part of their first-ever deployment to Europe.
- In addition, the two ministers exchanged views on the current situation surrounding Iran as well as regional security issues, including those in the Indo‑Pacific, and confirmed that they would continue to coordinate closely.
- The two ministers confirmed that they will continue to further deepen Japan–Germany defense cooperation and exchanges in various forms, under their shared recognition that security in the Euro‑Atlantic and the Indo‑Pacific is inseparable.
Japan-Germany Defense Ministerial Meeting.pdf