Japan’s defense chief and his counterparts from NATO and other countries have agreed to cooperate on security. They concurred that security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is inseparable.
Japan’s Defense Minister Nakatani Gen attended a meeting of his NATO peers in Brussels on Thursday. The defense chiefs of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand took part in the gathering for the first time.
Nakatani told his peers that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force and coercion have been continuing and intensifying. He said such moves are exemplified by recent intrusions into Japanese airspace by Chinese and Russian military aircraft.
Nakatani also said Russia’s expanded military cooperation with China and North Korea will cause the situation in Ukraine to further deteriorate. He called for assistance to Ukraine to be sustained.
Ahead of the gathering, Nakatani met with Ukraine defense minister Rustem Umerov. The Japanese minister expressed his country’s willingness to continue supporting Ukraine and outlined a plan for an additional supply of Self-Defense Force vehicles.