Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and visiting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier agreed Tuesday to continue their countries’ sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, as well as support for Ukraine.

At their meeting at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, Kishida and Steinmeier also agreed that their countries will work together to tackle food shortages and soaring energy prices.

With Russia threatening to use nuclear weapons, Kishida said at a joint press conference after the meeting that the historic fact that no nuclear weapons have been used for 77 years since the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 should never be undermined.

“The international community must never tolerate” the use of nuclear weapons, Kishida stressed.

Steinmeier said that a common goal between Germany and Japan is a world without nuclear weapons.

The Japanese and German governments will hold two-plus-two security talks among their foreign and defense ministers in Germany on Thursday.

Steinmeier said that Germany aims to maintain the rule-based international order.

JIJI Press