Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel for about 40 minutes on June 8 (June 9 Japan time) on the sidelines of the G7 Charlevoix Summit. According to the Japanese government, Merkel indicated her desire to visit Japan at an early date before the G20 Summit to be hosted by Japan in 2019. This was the first summit meeting between the two leaders after Merkel started her fourth term as chancellor last March.