“NATO Plans to Set Up a Liaison Office in Japan: Japanese Prime Minister Clarifies No Intention to Join”

24.05.2023

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday that there were discussions about a NATO liaison office in Tokyo, but he stressed that Japan has no plans to become a member of the military alliance. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that “the Asia-Pacific does not welcome confrontation between camps and military blocs.”

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday that Japan has no plan to join NATO, but acknowledged that the security alliance has a plan to open a liaison office in Japan.

Earlier this month,The Japanese ambassador to the United States has revealed that NATO plans to open an office in Tokyowhich will be the first office in Asia of the US-led military alliance, tasked with facilitating consultations in the region.

Fumio Kishida told a parliamentary meeting on Wednesday that there were indeed discussions about establishing a NATO liaison office in Japan, but that he was “not aware” of any decision by NATO at the moment. He added that Japan has no plans to join NATO as a member or associate member.

Japan’s Kyodo News reported late Wednesday, citing government officials, that Kishida planned to attend a NATO summit hosted by Lithuania in July.

China’s response: The Asia-Pacific region does not welcome

Beijing, for its part, said NATO’s plan to open a liaison office in Japan was unpopular in the Asia-Pacific region. After Japan confirmed the relevant NATO plans on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning responded to the news at a press conference, saying, “The Asia-Pacific does not welcome confrontation between camps and military blocs.”

She stressed that since NATO calls itself a regional alliance, it should not seek geographical breakthroughs.

The spokesperson also warned that,Japan has a history of aggression“We should be cautious in words and deeds on military security issues, and do more things that are conducive to maintaining regional peace and stability.”

Russian foreign minister: West sees Russia and China as threats to its hegemony

Japan just hosted the G7 summit in Hiroshima not long agothe leaders of seven major industrial countries in the world at this meetingAgree on economic “de-risking rather than decoupling” with China，And reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Western countries see Russia and China as “adversaries” and that the two countries pose an existential threat to the West’s “dominance”.

“As evidenced by the recently concluded statement of the G7 summit in Japan, the West sees Russia and China as strategic rivals, seeing both countries as an almost existential threat to its dominance,” Lavrov said.

(Reuters)

© 2023 Deutsche Welle Copyright Statement: All content in this article is protected by copyright law and may not be used without special authorization from Deutsche Welle. Any wrongdoing will result in recovery and be subject to criminal prosecution.