Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier agreed Tuesday to closely coordinate their responses to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, vowing to maintain stern sanctions on the energy-rich nation.
Kishida and Steinmeier told a joint news conference after their meeting in Tokyo that they also confirmed Japan and Germany will join hands to deal with various global challenges as the incoming and current chairs of the Group of Seven industrialized countries.
"Now I am strongly feeling the importance of our close collaboration," Kishida said at the outset of the talks, while the German president, whose role is largely ceremonial, underscored the necessity of putting more pressure on Moscow.