Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Gerhard Schroeder, the visiting German Chancellor, reaffirmed Monday that Japan and Germany will cooperate closely in preparations for the Group of Eight summit meeting next year in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture.
During their talks, held Monday evening at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, Obuchi asked for cooperation from Schroeder, who chaired the G8 summit in Cologne in June, in the runup to the Okinawa summit, a Foreign Ministry official said.
Schroeder expressed Germany's full support for Japan's preparations to date, adding that without Japan's support, the Cologne summit could have failed to agree on the initiative to assist heavily indebted nations, the official said.