# Japan and Germany Sign Memorandum on Evacuating Each Other's Citizens Abroad > Japan and Germany have formalized an agreement to help evacuate each other's nationals during conflicts or disasters in third countries, making Germany the sixth nation to join Japan's growing network of mutual evacuation partnerships. - Source: Berlin Today - Canonical URL: https://berlintoday.eu/article/japan-and-germany-sign-memorandum-on-evacuating-each-other-s-citizens-abroad - Author: Doug Brown - Section: Politics - Published: 2026-10-01T18:46:26.360Z - Updated: 2026-10-01T18:46:26.360Z - Tags: Germany, Japan, diplomacy, evacuation, security, cooperation --- Japan and Germany have signed a memorandum of cooperation committing both countries to assist in evacuating each other's citizens if a conflict or disaster breaks out in a third country. The agreement was signed at Japan's Foreign Ministry by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Germany's ambassador to Japan, Petra Sigmund. Under the memorandum, the two countries will share information on crisis management and evacuation planning during peacetime, and provide mutual support, including transportation, if either country's nationals need to be moved out of a dangerous situation abroad. ## Germany Joins a Growing Network The agreement makes Germany the sixth country to establish this kind of evacuation partnership with Japan since 2024, following similar arrangements with South Korea, Australia, Canada, Britain and Brazil. The steady expansion of this network reflects a broader Japanese effort to build a web of mutual assistance agreements that can be activated quickly when a crisis strands citizens far from home. For Germany, the deal formalizes a type of cooperation that has already happened informally in the past, giving both countries a clearer framework for coordinating logistics rather than relying on ad hoc arrangements negotiated in the middle of an unfolding emergency. ## A History of Informal Cooperation The two countries already have a track record of helping each other's citizens in a pinch. Japanese nationals were evacuated aboard German military aircraft during conflicts in Cote d'Ivoire in 2004 and in South Sudan in 2013, precedents that likely helped build the trust and operational familiarity needed to formalize the relationship now. Converting that informal history into a standing memorandum means future evacuations would not need to be negotiated from scratch, potentially shaving critical time off a response when nationals of either country are caught in a rapidly deteriorating situation abroad. ## Why It Matters As instability and conflict risk remain elevated in various parts of the world, agreements like this one give mid sized and major powers a practical tool for protecting citizens who travel, work or live abroad without each country needing to maintain the capacity to handle every possible evacuation scenario on its own. For Germany and Japan specifically, the memorandum also reinforces a broader pattern of deepening security and logistics cooperation between two countries that, while geographically distant, share overlapping interests in global stability and freedom of movement for their citizens abroad. --- Originally published by Berlin Today. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://berlintoday.eu/article/japan-and-germany-sign-memorandum-on-evacuating-each-other-s-citizens-abroad.