Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi on Friday inspected the German Navy frigate Bayern, the European country's first military vessel to make a port call in Japan in about 20 years.

Kishi's visit to the frigate at a Tokyo cruise terminal is intended to demonstrate robust ties between the two nations, according to the Defense Ministry. Japan and Germany have been deepening their defense cooperation in response to China's military buildup and assertive territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific.

Since Thursday, the Bayern has been conducting joint exercises with the Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo, the ministry said. The frigate also conducted training with the MSDF in the Gulf of Aden in August.