The Japan Times<p>Chancellor Friedrich Merz has secured a coalition that opens the door to unlimited defense spending. Now, he faces a far harder task: turning Germany into a military power that can deter Russia without U.S. support. <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/12/world/germany-military-powerhouse-focus/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/</span><span class="invisible">12/world/germany-military-powerhouse-focus/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/worldnews" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>worldnews</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/germany" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>germany</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/defense" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>defense</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/budgets" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>budgets</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/us" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>us</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/nato" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>nato</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/russia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>russia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ukraine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ukraine</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/russiaukrainewar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>russiaukrainewar</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/friedrichmerz" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>friedrichmerz</span></a></p>