At the CDU youth wing annual delegate conference in Bonn on Saturday, a delegate publicly demanded Chancellor MERZ resign, accusing him of failing younger generations on pensions policy and government debt and saying public trust in him is gone; the delegate urged MERZ to petition the Office of the Federal President to be relieved of his duties. MERZ did not respond to the demand.

Kyodo reported on 17 that the Japanese government is considering raising corporate taxes to help finance an expected increase in defense spending. Tokyo is revising its three security documents; the new defense buildup plan for fiscal 2027–31 envisages large-scale purchases of drones and increased ammunition and missile stockpiles to prepare for prolonged operations. A senior government official told Kyodo that, on the defense ministry’s estimates, spending over the next five years could swell to ¥70–80 trillion (about $443–506 billion at ¥158/$1). The proposal is likely to draw opposition from the business community.

乌克兰总统泽连斯基：俄罗斯希望在白俄罗斯部署弹道系统。