TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his German counterpart, Angela Merkel, agreed on Thursday that their countries will collaborate on the development of coronavirus treatments and vaccines.

In their teleconference, the leaders also decided to jointly support developing nations in their fight against the novel virus, according to officials with access to the talks.

As for bilateral matters, Merkel called on Japan to ease its coronavirus border controls. In reply, Abe said his administration is considering travel reopening in stages while implementing through border measures.

Meanwhile, Abe and Merkel showed their willingness to cooperate with each other for a successful Group of Seven summit US President Donald Trump hopes to host sometime between late August and early September.

Still, Merkel is negative about holding a face-to-face meeting in the United States, where the coronavirus is raging again, observers said.

JIJI Press