German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (left) and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attend an honor guard welcoming ceremony at the latter’s official residence in the capital Tokyo on Saturday, March 18, 2023. AP PHOTO
TOKYO: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday held the first round of government consultations in Tokyo as they seek to strengthen economic and defense ties in a global landscape dominated by China's growing influence and the war in Ukraine.