Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga welcomed the commitment to the Indo-Pacific region expressed by Germany and France in his separate bilateral talks with the leaders of the two countries on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit on Saturday.
In their first in-person talks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Suga that she regards the Indo-Pacific as an important area for Berlin and that she wants to step up bilateral coordination in security and other areas, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Germany is planning to dispatch a navy vessel to the region this summer.