International relationsFriedrich Merz to visit Tokyo as Japanese vehicles set to miss out on preferential statusJapanese Prime Minister and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are scheduled to meet in Tokyo on Oct. 28. (Nikkei and Reuters photos)Nikkei staff writersOctober 25, 2026 06:30 JSTTOKYO -- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to ask that European Union preferential treatment for electric vehicles be extended to Japanese products when German Chancellor Friedrich Merz meets with her on Wednesday.