The Heirs of Jacob Meckel: 21st Century German-Japanese Defence Relations

GIDS Insights 2 I 2. Oktober 2025 I Herausgeber: Dr. Tobias Kollakowski I Foto: Bundeswehr / Francis Hildemann

Within the last decade, German-Japanese defence relations have increased enormously when considering that Berlin and Tokyo are not members of the same alliance. Edited by Tobias Kollakowski, The Heirs of Jacob Meckel: 21st Century German-Japanese Defence Relations brings together experts and military leaders to examine the nature of the relationship by embracing multiple perspectives. While publications of the recent past have often explored the relationship between these two countries on the political level, much less has been published on security and military developments involving the Bundeswehr and the Japan Self-Defense Forces. This volume aims to contribute to closing that gap by elaborating on a broad spectrum of areas of cooperation and by outlining further potential for future collaboration.