Germany and Japan are rearming and teaming up 80 years after WWII

This week, top officials from Japan and Germany held a public-private conference in Tokyo to integrate their defense and aerospace industries.

For eight decades, both nations maintained strict constitutional pacifism as a response to their defeat and devastation in World War II. However, the modern threat environment created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s regional assertiveness has forced both countries to reverse course. They are now moving toward sharing military technology and conducting joint naval drills to reduce their strategic dependence on the United States.

Expect both countries to significantly increase their military spending to 2% of GDP as they form a new pillar of global security.