The raging war in Ukraine and heightened tensions in the Asia-Pacific show that the growing momentum in German-Japanese security cooperation needs to be sustained, the chair of the German parliament¡¯s defense committee said Wednesday during a two-day visit to Tokyo.

Arguing that the security of Europe is inseparable from that of the Indo-Pacific, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann said that Russia¡¯s invasion of Ukraine ¡°is not just a European issue but one that affects the entire world,¡± warning that democracies around the world cannot afford to be complacent amid the growing threats posed to the international ¡°rules-based order.¡±

¡°Nations with liberal and democratic values need to work together to tackle these challenges,¡± she said, noting that the international community needs to pay closer attention to the often-belligerent rhetoric coming from places such as China and North Korea, particularly as they forge closer relations.