ALBAWABA - Japan is in talks to open Asia’s first NATO liaison office in Tokyo, which supports the security alliance’s efforts against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ahead of the G7 summit hosted in Hiroshima, the Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi noted that no official agreement has been reached but talks are in action.
“We are already in discussions, but no details (have been) finalized yet,” Hayashi told CNN. “The reason why we are discussing about this is that since the aggression by Russia to Ukraine, the world (has) become more unstable,”.
Hayashi said that even though Japan is not a member of the NATO, opening this office will send a clear message that NATO’s Asian partners are heavily engaged with the security alliance.
Establishing a NATO liaison office in Japan would mark a great step forward in strengthening the Western stance in the region as criticism from China is expected regarding this major move.
Along with the expected main focus being Russia and its activities, the new office is expected to host geopolitical discussions with NATO partners in the region, like Australia and South Korea.
NATO and Japan will also upgrade their cooperation, aiming to sign an Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP) before the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12, Nikkei Asia reported.
Later in April, Lieutenant General Francesco Diella traveled to Japan leading a military delegation from NATO’s Cooperative Security Division, meeting with senior military representatives, to discuss military cooperation.
NATO was initially founded with the alliance of 12 countries, all European except for the United States and Canada. It now consists of 31 members - 29 European and 2 North American.
Written by Batool Darweesh
