Japan Launches Mission to NATO         01/16 06:17

   

   TOKYO (AP) -- Japan on Thursday formally inaugurated an independent mission 
to the NATO military alliance as Tokyo and NATO seek to bolster cooperation 
amid escalating tension from Russia, China and North Korea.

   Previously, the Japanese embassy in Belgium also covered NATO. The new 
mission is led by Osamu Izawa, who takes over the role currently filled by the 
ambassador to Belgium, Masahiro Mikami.

   In Tokyo on Thursday, Japan and NATO held high-level consultations to 
discuss regional security issues in East Asia and Europe, according to the 
Foreign Ministry.

   Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and closer ties 
between Moscow and Beijing, NATO has deepened its links with Japan and three 
other Indo-Pacific partners, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, though not 
as part of the military alliance.

   Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has advocated a NATO-like security 
framework in Asia, though he has not given details.

   Countries with shared security concerns are strengthening ties as 
competition escalates between the United States and China. Beijing has 
criticized NATO's growing ties with the Indo-Pacific partners, worried that 
Washington may move to form a NATO-like alliance in the region.