Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday that the country had no plans to become a NATO member but acknowledged the security alliance’s plan to open a liaison office in Japan.
Kishida’s remarks come after the Japanese ambassador to the US, Koji Tomita, revealed earlier this month that the US-led military alliance was preparing a Tokyo office, the first in Asia, to enable regional consultations.
Kishida told a Wednesday parliament session that he was unaware of any decision made at NATO regarding the establishment of the office, and that his country had no plans to join NATO as a member or semi-member state.
NATO has not confirmed the Nikkei report, saying it would not go into details of NATO allies’ ongoing deliberations.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg visited Japan in January and pledged with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to strengthen ties in the face off “historic” security challenges, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s rising military power.
After the Nikkei Asia report, China said “high vigilance” was needed in the face of NATO’s “eastward expansion.”
NATO is planning to open its first liaison office in Asia, in Japan, to facilitate talks with security partners such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, with geopolitical challenges from China and Russia in mind.
