Merz and Japan deepen security ties as Germany eyes fighter cooperation and warns over Taiwan and Ukraine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday that Germany and Japan would deepen defense cooperation, including examining possible collaboration on future combat aircraft, while linking security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

Speaking in Tokyo alongside Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Merz said the two countries were separated by roughly 9,000 kilometers but shared closely aligned strategic interests.

“We are supporters and defenders of an international order based on rights and rules,” Merz said, pointing to cooperation in advanced technologies, trade and security.

He warned that allowing major powers to wage “imperial, revisionist wars” would have consequences far beyond the countries directly involved and thanked Japan for its continued support for Ukraine.

“When great powers are allowed to wage imperial, revisionist wars, all other nations suffer,” Merz said. “In Tokyo, people have understood this, no matter how geographically distant Ukraine may be.”

Turning to Taiwan, Merz said Germany was watching rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific “with concern,” particularly around the Taiwan Strait.

“Germany will maintain its One-China policy, but how we shape it is something we decide,” he said, while calling on all sides to act with restraint.

Merz also announced plans to expand German-Japanese defense-industrial cooperation through joint development of future capabilities.

“We also want to explore whether cooperation in fighter aircraft construction is possible,” he said.

Germany is currently considering alternatives after the collapse of its joint FCAS fighter project with France, while Japan, Britain and Italy are developing the next-generation GCAP combat aircraft.