NATO chief Mark Rutte and Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba have vowed to further deepen military ties while stressing the need to jointly tackle growing threats from China, North Korea and Russia.
Japan, which has stepped up defence ties with the US and allied countries in the Indo-Pacific, has also sought closer ties with NATO, fearing that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine could embolden China’s assertiveness in the region.
“A stronger NATO will benefit Japan greatly,” Ishiba said at a press conference with Rutte, who was visiting Japan for the first time since becoming secretary general of the defence alliance in October.
In a joint statement released after their talks, Ishiba and Rutte said strengthening defence industrial cooperation is “a shared priority” and that they plan to focus on developing dual-use and advanced technologies while enhancing their standardisation.
They also agreed to step up cooperation in cyber defence and space, as well as joint military exercises. Drones and artificial intelligence were also discussed.
Ishiba and Rutte also said they “strongly condemn” growing military ties between North Korea and Russia, including Moscow’s use of North Korean missiles and troops against Ukraine, while expressing concern about China’s support for Russia’s industrial base.
Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine while maintaining its ambitions to “reshape European security,” Rutte said.
Both also called for upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific and opposed unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas.
The pair also encouraged Beijing to improve the transparency of its military operations and to cooperate in arms control, calling on peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The NATO chief told reporters that China has been pursuing a major military buildup, seeking to control key technologies, critical infrastructure and supply chains, and continues to carry out “destabilising activities” in the Indo-Pacific.
Rutte praised Japan’s contributions to support Ukraine in the war against Russia, and welcomed Tokyo’s willingness to participate in a NATO initiative for the support of Ukraine, as indicated by Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani on Tuesday.
The NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) command is headquartered at a US military base in Wiesbaden in Germany.
Rutte said NSATU “helps Ukraine fight today but also for Ukraine to build up its armed forces for tomorrow.”
Details of Japan’s participation still need to be discussed, but if deployed, the Japanese Self Defence Force is not expected to take on combat roles because of the country’s post-war pacifist principles, which are enshrined in domestic law.