An interview with Germany's ambassador to Japan

As Japan’s largest European trading partner, Germany plays a vital role in this country’s economy. Recently, the two nations celebrated the 150th anniversary of business relations, and German Ambassador to Japan Dr Hans Carl von Werthern took time to talk with EURObiZ Japan about this long-standing relationship.

The anniversary was quite a benchmark for the two countries. How do you see this bond being strengthened in the coming years?

Looking at the past few years, you can see that the bond between Germany and Japan has been strengthened continually. Since we celebrated 150 years of diplomatic relations in 2011, we’ve had a number of high–level visits, the most important being by Chancellor Angela Merkel in March of this year. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe went to the G7 summit in Bavaria in June. With Japan taking over the presidency of the G7 next year, Chancellor Merkel will visit Japan again in 2016. The close ties in the fields of economy and trade, science, culture, and between civil societies make the relationship with Japan the closest we have in Asia.

You have written about the world facing many new challenges. Which do you see as the main ones?

Climate change and demographic change are the issues that immediately come to mind. But, we also have to fight hunger and poverty globally, secure our energy supply, address challenges in the field of cyber security; and we are confronted with new forms of warfare: asymmetric and cyber. There are also a lot of challenges in the economic domain. Quite important — not only for Japan — is that China is growing more slowly than we all thought it would. Germany and Japan are facing similar challenges, but we have found different answers to some of them. As there is no single nation that can face these challenges alone, it is important that we cooperate bilaterally, as well as multilaterally.

Germany is a leader in renewable energy. Can Japan learn from the German example in this area?

I’m always at pains to stress that we are not giving advice, certainly not unsolicited advice. We are, however, more than willing to talk about our own experiences. Japan can then draw its own conclusions. In regard to our energy policy, we pursue three goals: first, we want to fight climate change; second, we want to strengthen our energy supply security; and, last but not least, after the catastrophe of 2011 we want to reduce the risks of nuclear energy. That is the main reason Germany has decided to abandon nuclear energy by the end of 2022. So far, we’ve been quite successful [in our resolve]. In 2000, renewables constituted 6% of our energy production. Now we have reached a share of almost 30%.

One other important point in this debate is energy efficiency. In Germany, we have implemented strict building regulations. Houses have to be insulated to a considerable extent, for example. We have established rules and guidelines regarding the saving of electricity, particularly concerning low-energy lighting. I’m confident that energy-efficiency is one of the most important ways to manage our energy needs.

Security threats are always worrisome. How can countries like Japan and Germany deal with such threats in the future?

No single country can deal with these threats by itself. In Europe, we have found multilateral cooperation to be very useful. We have the European Union (EU), and in the security area we have NATO. In the EU, something is happening which is quite unique in the world: member states willingly transferring part of their sovereignty onto European institutions. As we do not want to see this trend reversed, we are working hard to ensure that both Greece and the United Kingdom stay within the Union. As for security, NATO is not the only player. In fact, it is fair to say that the EU is one of the biggest peace and security projects in the history of mankind. It has become virtually unthinkable, for a variety of reasons, that countries within the EU would ever go to war against each other again.

European countries have had challenges with immigration and assimilation. As Japan prepares to become more open, are there lessons it should keep in mind?

Japan is currently facing even greater dramatic demographic changes than Germany. Sometimes, the discussion in Japan reminds me of the discussion in Germany 20 or 30 years ago. At that time, nobody wanted Germany to become an immigration country. Now, even conservatives say we need immigration to overcome demographic change, although immigration is only part of the answer to this particular challenge. By the way, I don’t like the word “assimilation”; I would rather talk about “integration”. The goal is not for immigrants coming to Germany to become 100% German. Our society is greatly enriched by people with a migration background, exactly because they are who they are. They bring with them a Turkish, or Polish or Spanish heritage, which brings a new depth and diversity to German society. For a modern society, diversity is of tremendous importance.

You have written that “Germans have learned from the events of the 20th century” and that “multilateral cooperation can replace confrontation”. Can you explain these concepts?

The virtues of multilateral cooperation have been one of the leitmotifs of our experience after World War II. Germany was disdained by the whole world — rightly so — for what had happened under Nazi rule. Immediately after the war, our neighbors — especially France — extended their hands in friendship. In the following years, Germany and France became the nucleus of the European integration process. Subsequently, Germany even joined NATO. By integrating itself into the European Union and NATO, as well as other multilateral organisations, Germany was able to regain the trust of its neighbors and the world. With great interest, I see similar endeavors in East and Southeast Asia. The issue here is more complex. I understand that, but, at the end of the day, a multilateral system based on rules that create clarity, certainty and confidence is the solution to the problems in the region.

The German post–war experience has been much different from Japan’s. The current Japanese prime minister has been criticised over the issue of an apology. What is your opinion on this controversy?

In a way, Germany was very lucky after World War II. The Nazi regime was cast out. The West needed Germany, or more precisely West Germany, to play its part in the Cold War. And we had neighbors prepared to overcome an age-old enmity. For Japan, the situation was different. It was, therefore, much easier for Germany to make a clean cut and, after that, come to terms with its past. I do believe that an honest discussion of the past in German society and in German families across the generations was one of the preconditions for Germany reacquiring the trust of its neighbors and the world.

The last decades have shown Germany that sometimes what you do is more important than what you say. Chancellor Willy Brandt kneeling in front of the memorial commemorating the uprising in the Warsaw ghetto and Chancellor [Helmut] Kohl holding hands with French President [François] Mitterrand at Verdun where hundreds of thousands of French and German soldiers had died in World War I; these gestures have, perhaps, created more trust in Germany than all the declarations, apologies and reparation payments combined.

Free trade talks between Europe and Japan are continuing. What would an FTA mean for your country?

Germany accounts for about one-third of the trade between the EU and Japan. I am, therefore, certain that Germany would benefit greatly from an FTA, as would Japan. Regarding the agreement, Germany has two main points of interest. First, we want to abolish non–tariff trade barriers as much as possible. Second, we want to be able to participate in public procurement procedures for things such as power plants, traffic systems and trains. I am convinced that both sides would profit greatly from the FTA, provided it’s a good agreement. Therefore, it is better to aim for a comprehensive agreement than for an early signing ceremony.

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