Japan And Germany To Hold First ‘2 Plus 2’ Dialogue Talks

The foreign and Defence ministers of Japan and Germany will hold a “2 plus 2” virtual dialogue in mid-April.

This comes in the wake of China taking an increasingly aggressive foreign policy approach in the Indo-Pacific region.

On Monday, The daily Yomiuri reported that the ‘2 plus 2’ talks will be the first among the two countries, and they are expected to discuss ways to defence and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The reports say the two parties are looking to speak on April 16, although the exact date has so far not been confirmed.

Tokyo already has similar pacts with the United States and Australia.

Last September, Germany drew up diplomatic and trade guidelines for the Indo-Pacific region to try and reverse course from its heavy focus on China and boost its security presence in Asia.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel reached a broad agreement on an information protection pact with then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during her visit to Japan in February 2019.