Japan, Germany leaders to launch panel to reinforce security ties

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed Thursday to set up an intergovernmental panel involving the two leaders to further beef up their security ties, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine poses new security challenges to the West.Kishida told a joint press conference after their meeting in Tokyo that they confirmed plans to hold the panel's first meeting next year. They pledged to oppose unilateral attempts to alter the status quo by force in the East and South China seas, where China has been intensifying maritime assertiveness."Currently, the internation…READ FULL ARTICLE