Kishida to be 1st Japanese leader to attend NATO summit

[SBFNews]

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida leaves a press conference at his official residence on Wednesday. Photo: Yoshikazu Tsuno/Pool via APPolitics

Kishida to be 1st Japanese leader to attend NATO summit​

Today 06:40 am JST 15 Comments

TOKYO

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday he will attend a summit meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization this month as the first Japanese leader to attend the gathering of the Western security alliance.

At a press conference, Kishida also said he will attend a three-day summit of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, to be held from June 26 in Schloss Elmau, Germany, just before the NATO gathering in the Spanish capital of Madrid.

The summits will be held as member nations continue to face challenges stemming from Russia's war on Ukraine.

Kishida said he intends to underscore at the meetings that "any unilateral attempt to change status quo by force is impermissible anywhere in the world."

During the two-day NATO summit starting on June 29, leaders are expected to endorse a new strategic concept defining the security challenges facing the alliance, including China's rapid militarization and efforts to weaken the rules-based international order.

NATO is inviting its Asia-Pacific partner countries such as Japan, South Korea and Australia to attend the summit.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is reportedly attending the gathering as well. Japanese government sources have said Seoul has sounded out Tokyo about the first in-person meeting between its new leader and Kishida on the sidelines.

"Nothing has been decided," Kishida said, when asked about possibility of the face-to-face meeting. "To restore a healthy relationship, it is important to communicate based on Japan's consistent position."

Since Yoon took office in May, the two countries have expressed their readiness to mend bilateral relations, strained by years of disagreements over wartime issues.
Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Japan has coordinated with other G-7 members -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States, plus the European Union -- in imposing a slew of sanctions on Russia to compel it to cease its aggression.

Kishida's planned attendances at the summits come during the official campaigning period in Japan for the House of Councillors election on July 10.

© KYODO

 

[syed putra]

F$%k chinese? How to join the japanese army!

 

[laksaboy]

I long for the day when Japanese warships dock at Changi Naval Base, and their sailors come on shore for some R&R.

 

[myfoot123]

I long for the day when Japanese warships dock at Changi Naval Base, and their sailors come on shore for some R&R.

They must first attend the ceremony of repentence, at the grave yards of thousands of victims during WWII, before being allowed to attend other events here.

 

[maxsanic]

Japan joining NATO is the equivalent of wearing suspenders and belt at the same time, it serves no purpose other than to constantly generate news for layman consumption.

Japan already has an assurance more superior than anything NATO has to offer i.e. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security which is just as, if not more, ironclad than NATO. In theory NATO can bring the middle/small European nations to help defend Japan, but looking at their pathetic state before Ukraine, these countries again serve no real purpose other than for press releases and photo ops.

A far more serious problem for Japan is actually two-fold:

#1 China has increased its naval and air force patrols around Japan. Such military activities used to take place only at offshore islands far away from Japan mainland, but they have now moved towards surrounding Honshu. Japanese military response has been very weak due to inability to keep up and refusal by US to do anything concrete militarily. Joining NATO will just provide an excuse for China to tighten the noose even further and demonstrate to other countries NATO's namesake of no action talk only.

#2 The mood amongst Asian countries outside of vassals like Japan / Korea has turned negative towards US noticeably in recent years. Key Asian regional players like Indonesia, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey are now increasingly impatient and frustrated with US's conflict stirring initiatives and attempts to bulldoze them into submission. Even traditionally ultra US friendly states like Singapore and Philippines are now playing both sides and refusing to take sides.

While Japan joining NATO can provide some good photos for western newspapers, this will just simply exacerbate the frustrations amongst the rest of Asia and push them even further down to China's "win-win" global order and ostracize Japan even further.

 

[laksaboy]

Japan joining NATO is the equivalent of wearing suspenders and belt at the same time, it serves no purpose other than to constantly generate news for layman consumption.

Japan already has an assurance more superior than anything NATO has to offer i.e. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security which is just as, if not more, ironclad than NATO. In theory NATO can bring the middle/small European nations to help defend Japan, but looking at their pathetic state before Ukraine, these countries again serve no real purpose other than for press releases and photo ops.

A far more serious problem for Japan is actually two-fold:

#1 China has increased its naval and air force patrols around Japan. Such military activities used to take place only at offshore islands far away from Japan mainland, but they have now moved towards surrounding Honshu. Japanese military response has been very weak due to inability to keep up and refusal by US to do anything concrete militarily. Joining NATO will just provide an excuse for China to tighten the noose even further and demonstrate to other countries NATO's namesake of no action talk only.

#2 The mood amongst Asian countries outside of vassals like Japan / Korea has turned negative towards US noticeably in recent years. Key Asian regional players like Indonesia, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey are now increasingly impatient and frustrated with US's conflict stirring initiatives and attempts to bulldoze them into submission. Even traditionally ultra US friendly states like Singapore and Philippines are now playing both sides and refusing to take sides.

While Japan joining NATO can provide some good photos for western newspapers, this will just simply exacerbate the frustrations amongst the rest of Asia and push them even further down to China's "win-win" global order and ostracize Japan even further.

Precisely. China's antics caused this to happen. For every action there will be a reaction.

 

[parrardee]

Good insight.

Japan joining NATO is the equivalent of wearing suspenders and belt at the same time, it serves no purpose other than to constantly generate news for layman consumption.

Japan already has an assurance more superior than anything NATO has to offer i.e. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security which is just as, if not more, ironclad than NATO. In theory NATO can bring the middle/small European nations to help defend Japan, but looking at their pathetic state before Ukraine, these countries again serve no real purpose other than for press releases and photo ops.

A far more serious problem for Japan is actually two-fold:

#1 China has increased its naval and air force patrols around Japan. Such military activities used to take place only at offshore islands far away from Japan mainland, but they have now moved towards surrounding Honshu. Japanese military response has been very weak due to inability to keep up and refusal by US to do anything concrete militarily. Joining NATO will just provide an excuse for China to tighten the noose even further and demonstrate to other countries NATO's namesake of no action talk only.

#2 The mood amongst Asian countries outside of vassals like Japan / Korea has turned negative towards US noticeably in recent years. Key Asian regional players like Indonesia, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey are now increasingly impatient and frustrated with US's conflict stirring initiatives and attempts to bulldoze them into submission. Even traditionally ultra US friendly states like Singapore and Philippines are now playing both sides and refusing to take sides.

While Japan joining NATO can provide some good photos for western newspapers, this will just simply exacerbate the frustrations amongst the rest of Asia and push them even further down to China's "win-win" global order and ostracize Japan even further.