NATO chief seeks firmer ties with Japan
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) SecretaryGeneral Jens Stoltenberg has called for stronger ties with Japan as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raises global dangers and shows that democracies need to forge stronger partnerships.
The East Asian country has been quick to join the United States-led economic sanctions against Russia over the war and provided humanitarian aid and noncombative defense equipment for the Ukrainians.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has voiced alarm that Moscow’s aggression in Europe could happen in Asia, where concerns are growing over already assertive China and escalating tensions near Taiwan.
“The war in Ukraine also demonstrates that our security is closely interconnected,” Stoltenberg said during his visit at the Iruma Air Base, north of the capital Tokyo, where he started his Japan visit on Tuesday after arriving the night before from South Korea, where he kicked off his East Asian tour.
“If President (Vladimir) Putin wins in Ukraine, it will [not only] 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,” he said. “So the war in Ukraine matters for all of us.”
Stoltenberg said his visit to Japan “is a way to further strengthen the partnership between NATO and our highly valued partner, Japan.”
A close ally of the US, Japan has, in recent years, expanded its military ties with other Indo-Pacific nations, as well as with the United Kingdom, Europe and NATO amid growing security threats from
China and North Korea.
Last December, Tokyo issued a new national security strategy stating its determination to build up its military and deploy longrange missiles to preempt enemy attacks in a major break from its post-World War 2 principle that limited itself to self-defense. It also hopes to further ease restrictions on arms export to strengthen the country’s feeble defense industry.
While in South Korea on Monday, Stoltenberg called for Seoul to provide direct military support to Ukraine to help Kyiv to fight off Russia’s offensive. So far, South Korea has only provided humanitarian aid and other support, citing a long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to countries in conflict.
Stoltenberg also met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and discussed Seoul’s commitment to support Ukraine and NATO’s possible role in dissuading the North from its growing nuclear ambitions following an unprecedented number of ballistic missile tests in 2022, Yoon’s office said.
Stoltenberg on Sunday cited US intelligence reports in accusing North Korea of providing weapons to Russia to support its war in Ukraine.
North Korea condemned his visits to Seoul and Tokyo, saying NATO was trying to put its “military boots in the region” and attempting to pressure America’s Asian allies into providing weapons to Ukraine.
In a statement released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Pyongyang criticized increasing cooperation between NATO and US allies in Asia as a process to create an “Asian version of NATO” that would raise tensions in the region.