En Route to New Conflicts (III)

TOKYO/BERLIN (Own report) – The German Chancellor’s trip to Japan, early next week, takes place in the midst of the expansion of military relations between Berlin and Tokyo. Particularly the German Navy is regularly cooperating with its Japanese counterparts, with which it carries out tactical maneuvers at the Horn of Africa. Since some time, army and air force have also been extending their antennas toward Japan. Parallel to Germany’s efforts, Great Britain and France have also been intensifying their military policy relationships to Japan. The same goes for NATO, which, just last year signed an “Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme” with the Japanese government. Already two years ago, German government advisors had recommended that Germany “participate in the USA’s political and military re-orientation toward Asia.” This would mean the reinforcement of western positions in the direct territorial vicinity of the Peoples Republic of China, with the intention of rolling back its political power. Berlin and the EU also see Japan, the USA’s key ally in Asia, as an important partner in their rivalry with Beijing.