Japan: NATO Secretary-General Mr. Jens Stoltenberg says the Western military alliance will strengthen its partnership with Japan, adding that “our security is closely interconnected” as Russia’s war on Ukraine raises global threats.

Mr. Stoltenberg arrived in Tokyo from South Korea, where he urged Seoul to increase its military support for Ukraine. Mr. Stoltenberg stated that his trip was intended to strengthen relations between NATO and “our highly valued partner” Japan.

“The war in Ukraine also demonstrates that our security is closely interconnected,” Mr. Stoltenberg noted during a visit to the Iruma Air Base north of Tokyo.

“If President [Vladimir] Putin wins in Ukraine it will be a tragedy for the Ukrainians, but it will also send a very dangerous message to authoritarian leaders all over the world because then the message will be that when they use military force they can achieve their goals,” the NATO Secretary-General added.

Japanese Prime Minister Mr. Fumio Kishida has alerted that Russia’s aggression in Europe could spill over into Asia, where tensions between China and Taiwan are rising, as are threats from North Korea. Japan, already a close US ally, has recently expanded its military ties with other Indo-Pacific nations, as well as the United Kingdom, Europe, and NATO. Japan was quick to join the US-led economic sanctions against Russia, and it has also provided humanitarian aid and non-combative defence equipment to Ukraine.

In a significant break from the post-World War II principle that limited Japan to self-defence, Tokyo unveiled a new national security strategy in December that will result in a significant increase in military capabilities, including the deployment of long-range missiles to preempt enemy attacks. Japan also hopes to ease further restrictions on arms exports in order to strengthen the country’s shaky defence industry.

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