Japan and Germany adopt joint declarations on economic security and advanced technology

28 October 2026

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo and the two adopted two joint declarations.
One covers economic security; the other covers cooperation in cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence.
They also signed a joint declaration of intent on critical raw materials and agreed to set up a high-level dialogue on artificial intelligence.
The named fields for cooperation include semiconductors, batteries, electric cars, industrial AI, robotics, pharmaceuticals and wind power, with work to widen the rare earth supply base for both car industries.
Germany plans to put two billion euros into AI and high technology by 2029, while Japan is aiming at about eighteen billion euros of private investment in these fields by 2040.
Takaichi said security in the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific cannot be separated.
It was Merz's first visit to Japan since he took office.