Possibly no concerted efforts made in Japan-Germany defense cooperation

日德防务合作“牵手”难“同心”

Source
China Military Online
Editor
Li Jiayao
Time
2021-12-09 17:21:57

By Fu Honghong and Zhao Ying

付红红、赵英

Recently, Germany participated in a JMSDF-led Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force exercise (ANNUALEX 2021). The German frigate FGS Bayern (F217) visited Japan again nearly 20 years later. In this regard, Japan has attached great importance, intending to woo more European countries for defense cooperation and seek to achieve the goal of being a political and military power.

日前,德国参加了日本主导的多国海上联合军演;德国海军护卫舰“巴伐利亚”号时隔近20年再次到访日本。对此,日本极为重视,意图拉拢更多欧洲防务合作伙伴、谋求实现政治军事大国的目标。

Japan and Germany have accelerated their defense cooperation in the context of their respective "Indo-Pacific Concepts." In 2016, the Shinzo Abe’s administration took the lead in proposing Japan's "free and open Indo-Pacific" concept, aiming to shape the order of the Indo-Pacific region and improve Japan's international political and military status. Considering its own limited strength and the relative decline of the US power, Japan has attached great importance to wooing other countries to carry out defense cooperation to strut in borrowed plumes. Since German frigate Bayernhas departed from Germany in August, Japan has organized three joint naval drills with the frigate involved in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and waters off the Pacific coast south of Tokyo. As hyped up by the Japanese media, another European power has become its companion following the UK and France.

日德加速推进防卫合作,是在两国各自“印太构想”的背景下实施的。2016年,安倍晋三政府率先提出日本版“自由开放的印太战略”,其主要目标是塑造印太地区秩序,提高日本国际政治军事地位。考虑到自身力量有限以及美国实力相对衰落,日本非常重视拉拢其他国家开展防务合作,以壮大声势。自“巴伐利亚”号8月离开德国本土以来,日本先后组织舰艇在阿拉伯海、印度洋和东京以南的太平洋海域与其进行了3次联合演习。日本媒体进行了大肆宣传,渲染继英法之后又一个欧洲大国加入了自己的“朋友圈”。

As for Germany, the cooperation with Japan can allow it to effectively intervene in the affairs of the Indo-Pacific region and enhance its influence therein. As the economic and political importance of the region keeps rising, the German government issued the “Germany-Europe-Asia: Shaping the 21st Century Together”, a policy guidelines on the Indo-Pacific region in September 2020, stating that the development of international order in the 21st century is up to the Indo-Pacific region. It also indicated that Germany has defined the Indo-Pacific region as a priority of its foreign policy. Therefore, Germany, which kept on reflecting on history and was more cautious about developing defense relations with Japan and sending troops overseas for decades after WWII, has also sent warship to conduct joint exercises with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

对德国而言,与日本合作可有效介入印太地区事务,提升其在该地区的影响力。随着印太地区的经济和政治重要性不断上升,德国于2020年9月发布《德国-欧洲-亚洲:共同塑造21世纪》的印太政策指导文件,指出未来的国际秩序将取决于印太地区,德国将印太地区定义为德国外交政策的优先议程。因此,战后数十年来持续反思历史、对与日本发展防务关系和海外派兵较为谨慎的德国,也派出舰艇不远万里与日本海上自卫队进行联合演习。

Japan has continued to expand the scope of its defense cooperation partners, under the disguise of which it aims to turn into political and military power. However, compared to other countries like Britain and France, Germany is more rational and cautious, laying emphasis on maximizing its own interests in multi-party games, rather than tend to provoke troubles or be ready to be a tool. Although Japan and Germany are getting closer in the field of defense, it is difficult for the two parties to truly make concerted efforts considering the real needs of each party.

日本不断扩大防务合作伙伴范围,这背后是追求政治军事大国的野心。但相较于英法等国,德国更加理性和谨慎,注重在多方博弈中将自身利益最大化,而不轻易“挑起事端”或甘心“被当枪使”。日德在防务领域虽不断走近,但考虑到彼此的真正需要,这种合作难以真正“同心”。

 

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