Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will join NATO leaders in Lithuania on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. Japan’s presence seems to remind the alliance that focuses on Ukraine, to pay attention to China’s and Russia’s activities in East Asia. These two countries are seen by Japan as a threat to global security.
Kishida’s second visit to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting, along with the leaders of South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The move comes as Japan is doubling down on defense spending to counter Chinese and Russian forces in the waters and skies around Japan.
The current conditions have made Japan feel that it can no longer rely solely on its old ally, the US, to support it. Kishida also approached a new security partner through NATO.
“Japan talks about principles like territorial integrity, but the message to Europe is not to forget the Indo-Pacific, no matter how difficult the situation is with Russia,” said Michito Tsuruoka, a NATO expert at Keio University. 2023).
Over the past year, Kishida has been urging like-minded nations to stick together. Japan is warning that a conflict like Ukraine, which Russia describes as a special operation, could erupt in East Asia if China tries to take over self-ruled Taiwan.
Meanwhile, China has also criticized Japan for its Cold War mentality. In its latest annual national security assessment, Japan is described as surrounded by nuclear-armed actors, including China, North Korea and Russia, which are neighbors to six NATO members. Tokyo fears being drawn into a conflict over Taiwan, which is only 100 km (62 miles) away.
At a meeting in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Japan is expected to be included in NATO’s Individually Tailored Partnership Program. The program will pave the way for cooperation on cyber security, space and information sharing with China and Russia.
The initiative follows a visit by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to Japan in January, where he said the lessons China learned from Ukraine could influence its decisions.
NATO documents have started to reflect concerns about China, East Asia and the Indo-Pacific, but Japan needs to deepen its awareness of those issues, said a Japanese official involved in discussions on NATO ties.
However, the military alliance still adheres to French President Emmanuel Macron’s word not to open an office in Tokyo temporarily in the face of animosity with China. Believing it will irritate Beijing and open accusations against NATO that it sees as crossing its geographic boundaries.
“If we push for NATO’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region and expand its reach, we will make a big mistake,” said a French foreign ministry spokesman.
Diplomats from the two European NATO nations who spoke to Reuters said the uneasiness within the alliance about the Tokyo office was not unique to France. They declined to be identified.
Another Japanese official involved in preparations for Kishida’s visit to NATO said the idea of setting up a NATO office in Japan had nothing to do with China. Because almost every NATO country has its own relationship with China.
Japan, he added, would continue to communicate with NATO through its embassy in Brussels or through the Danish embassy in Tokyo, which are NATO’s point of contact in Japan for dealing with the military alliance.
Apart from the Japanese PM, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who will also be attending the NATO summit, is also looking to deepen ties in Europe including new defense deals with countries such as Poland.
Under Yoon’s leadership, South Korea has set up a liaison office with NATO in Brussels and has embraced calls for unity among like-minded nations. However, he may face renewed pressure to provide arms to Ukraine, which his government has resisted, fearing Russian influence over North Korea.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, another Asia Pacific Four member invited to the NATO meeting, said Australia would maintain support for Ukraine, when asked about new financial aid for Ukraine.
“We will continue to support the Ukrainian people,” Albanese told Sky News.
Source: internasional.republika
