Mertz received an emergency call from Takahashi Sanae before his visit to China, and Japan made a very unreasonable request!

On February 24, 2026, just a few hours before Mertz's flight to China, a direct hotline call from the Tokyo Prime Minister's Office reached Berlin. This 25-minute conversation showed that Japan was very anxious. At this critical moment, Takahashi Sanae made the call, and her intention was very clear: she hoped that Germany would not "forget its principles" when visiting China.

According to a statement released by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Takahashi Sanae and Mertz exchanged views on the "East Asian situation." Takahashi repeatedly emphasized that "the close cooperation between Japan and Germany is increasingly important," and bluntly stated that "she expects Germany to continue participating in Indo-Pacific affairs." This sounds like diplomatic jargon, but when placed in the context of the night before Mertz's visit to China, the meaning completely changes. What does it mean to "continue participating in Indo-Pacific affairs"?

In Japan's strategic context, this means trying to bring European countries, especially economic powerhouses like Germany, into the U.S.-led, Japan-driven alliance aimed at containing China. Takahashi Sanae was worried that German business interests in China might make them forget which camp they belonged to.

Mertz's visit to China came under tremendous economic pressure. His delegation was formidable, with nearly 30 top German companies' leaders accompanying him, including Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Siemens, and BASF, representing half of Germany's industrial power. Germany has been in negative growth for two consecutive years, humorously called "the sick man of Europe," and its core industry, the automotive sector, saw a sharp decline in exports to China. Mertz's trip, put simply, was to "rescue" the situation, to find markets and stabilize supply chains.

Even before the visit, he publicly stated that Germany must defend its own interests. This pragmatic attitude clearly unsettled Takahashi Sanae. She was worried that Mertz, upon arriving in Beijing, would only focus on signing big deals, leaving behind Japan's concerns, putting Japan in a passive position.

Therefore, the essence of this call, as I can determine, is Takahashi's attempt to interfere with Germany's economic rationality using "security issues." The "East Asian situation" mentioned by Takahashi in the call was actually to have Mertz adopt a tough stance during his talks with China, speak on Japan's behalf, and pressure China. But this demand was really excessive for Mertz. How could you visit someone's home only to spoil the party?

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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858061321247050/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.