Japan Moves to Strengthen Europe Ties at Munich Security Conference as China Exploits U.S.-Europe Divide

By Ryuichi Sato / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:27 JST, February 16, 2026

MUNICH — In an unusual move, Japan dispatched both Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to the Munich Security Conference held in Munich from Friday through Sunday. As China intensifies efforts to draw closer to Europe amid growing distrust of the Donald Trump administration in the United States, the Japanese government aims to reinforce its ties with European partners.

Emphasizing significance

“By having both the foreign and defense ministers attend, we were able to communicate our efforts to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law,” Motegi told reporters on Saturday, underscoring the importance of their joint participation. It marked the first time since 2020 that both ministers attended the Munich Security Conference together.

During his stay, Motegi took part in the Group of 7 foreign ministers’ meeting and joined a public panel discussion at the conference. Koizumi, for his part, met with defense ministers from Germany and other countries, as well as the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and delivered a speech at the conference on short notice.

Both ministers repeatedly stressed that security in the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific regions are inseparable. Europe faces Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while Japan confronts China’s growing military pressure in the Indo-Pacific. By highlighting these shared challenges, Tokyo hopes to deepen security cooperation with Europe.

Speaking at a public session on Saturday, Motegi said, “Given the current international situation, Japan places importance not only on the Japan-U.S. alliance but also on multilayered cooperation with like-minded countries, including those in Europe.”

Urgent task

Another pressing priority is coordinating responses with European partners regarding China, with which relations have deteriorated rapidly following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks concerning a potential Taiwan contingency.

As rifts emerge between the United States and Europe over issues such as the status of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi used the occasion of the Munich conference to hold successive meetings with European counterparts, signaling Beijing’s intent to exploit transatlantic divisions.

The Japanese government hopes to strengthen its collective response by working in unity with Europe and the United States, which share common values. At Saturday’s G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, Motegi outlined Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” initiative and called for closer coordination among like-minded nations.