German State Leader Voices Hopes for Defense Ties with Japan

Dusseldorf, Germany, June 26 (Jiji Press)–Hendrik Wust, minister-president of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, has expressed hopes for enhancement of cooperation with Japan in the defense industry. In a recent interview with Jiji Press, he said there is a strong possibility that bilateral cooperation based on trust will expand in the field of armaments, given the shared goal of reducing dependency on the United States in national security. Wust also said that both Germany and Japan need to focus more on national defense. He emphasized the importance of bilateral ties in the field, saying that Japan and Germany have a long tradition of industrial collaboration and are partners that share not only economic ties but also common values. Over economic relations with China, he said that ignoring its enormous market is impossible, adding that what matters is not decoupling but risk reduction. German businesses need to reduce their dependency on any particular country, not just China, for supply chains and critical minerals, he said. Wust is viewed as the most right-wing candidate in the conservative ruling Christian Democratic Union to succeed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany’s most populous state. Dusseldorf, its capital, has the nation’s biggest Japanese community. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]