Merkel in Japan : What can Europe learn, and Germany, Japan's strategic skill

the liberal order to save - and who are the allies of Europe and Germany are at this destination? On Friday, the has entered free trade agreements between the EU and Japan. It creates the largest internal market in the earth. Japan and the EU force to stand for a third of the global economy.

Now, Angela Merkel, visited for two days in Japan: a country whose economic achievements in front of three, four decades, the world fascinated. Today, the German and the European Public in Japan pay little attention to, because it überaltere allegedly stagnating and its dynamics have been lost.

It is worth it right now to look. Japan finds answers to the crisis of the international order and is thus the ideal allies in Europe.

In a jungle world you are inferior

Yes, they still exist: companies that rely on binding rules and contracts for the international dealings of trade on territory and border conflicts to arms control. States recognize that they suffer in a world of jungle laws, and the national self-harm - Yes, possibly.

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for Free order

Japan and the EU have common interests: they are powers not military. They will not succeed in a world in which the right of the strongest triumphed over the strength of the Right. But you have some influence on the world, thanks to their technological edge and their economic weight. This is the goal of the free trade agreement between the EU and Japan.

to your success, your prosperity, and thus social peace is based on the existing contract system, which ensures on the one hand, the free exchange of Goods and services and on the other hand, the intellectual property protects.

Therefore, they have an almost existential interest in ensuring that the rule is respect-based procedure. It is threatened: of Russia, of China and, more recently, from the United States, because the have a President, a doubt arouse, that he will defend the liberal order to the same extent as in the past.

How to save the rule-based procedure

the rise of China also to the fact that Beijing utilizes the advantages of the free trade order, but these rights and the market does not allow access in the same way, in our own country owes. to protect

the reciprocity demand and the weaker neighbours in Asia before Chinese pressure, had the United States and Japan in Barack Obama's time in government, a TRANS-Pacific free trade agreement (TPP).

Twelve States have agreed on minimum standards in wages, safety at workplace, social, environmental, and intellectual property. In the long term, it is hoped, will not be able to escape China this scale, when the Others meet him. And this is all the more important because the Pacific in the 21st century. Century will replace the Atlantic as the relevant economic space of the earth.

But Trump led campaign against free trade agreements because they discriminate against the United States allegedly. He resigned from the TPP. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to change his mind visited the Trump two Times in the weeks between the election and the inauguration, to him - in vain.

However, he resigned, but followed Plan B. Within a few months organized a Japan, a TPP-11 with the remaining States. This is not the same pressure effect as a TPP with the USA, because the largest economy of the Region is missing. But it is a Signal: The rule-based order can assert itself, even if the United States fail as a guarantor, provided that other lead.

This spirit should be a model for Germany and Europe. A clear course is often lacking, as you assert their interests against China. Out of consideration for the respective national business interests of Beijing divide. You hesitate, and how seriously they should take the risks in the approval of the Chinese IT company Huawei in the 5G networks.

On contracts and, in parallel, the defense strengths

This proved supposedly to Ageing and a lack of momentum suffering in Japan also in other fields of his will, adapt to new realities. After the military was defeated, the tables of the Empire in the Second world war and destroyed, had given the country has a pacifist Constitution.

Similar to Europe, Japan, left, after 1945 on the protective power of the USA. Under the impression of the military threat posed by China and North Korea, Japan has changed in the past few years, his attitude to the military.

For the past seven years, the defense budget will be increased continuously. In December, the government has given two aircraft carriers in order, the first since 1945. Be equipped with stealth bombers from the United States. In Parallel, Japan is pushing for diplomatic initiatives on arms control and to the enforcement of the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty.

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Now: the Pacific free trade agreement of Americanism also goes without the USA

Christoph von Marschall

This simple dualism, Germany and Europe would do well: We do not need a multilateral Alliance for the rule-based order, but turning a blind eye to the threat posed by their opponents and will meet for all the cases defence measures.