Because of threat from China: NATO opens office in Tokyo
NATO plans to open the first communication office in Asia in Tokyo. This will allow the Alliance to consult with Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand on the challenges that China may pose.
These plans were confirmed by representatives of both NATO and Japan, reports Censor.NET with reference to Nikkei Asia sources.
NATO and Japan also plan to sign a new cooperation agreement - the Individual Partnership Program. They want to conclude it before the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11-12.
The parties will deepen cooperation in countering cyber threats, coordinate positions on new weapons technologies, and exchange information on combating fakes.
The idea of opening an office was first discussed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the latter's visit to Tokyo at the end of January. According to the source, in mid-April the alliance distributed the draft proposal among the member countries of the alliance.
NATO has similar offices in the United Nations in New York, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna, as well as in Georgia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova and Kuwait.
The intention to deepen cooperation is mutual. Japan plans to create an independent mission to NATO, separating it from the embassy in Belgium, where it is currently based. A new ambassador will be sent to relieve the NATO ambassador in Belgium.
Denmark's ambassador to Japan, Peter Takso-Jensen, told Nikkei Asia in a telephone interview that the NATO liaison office would be the first of its kind in the Indo-Pacific region and would have more than just symbolic significance. "It would be a very visible and real way to strengthen the relationship between Japan and NATO," he said.
