Japan Defense Minister Holds Phone Talks with Italian, NATO Officials Over Radar Issue

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:19 JST, December 12, 2025

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi held phone talks on Wednesday with senior officials from Italy and NATO in an effort to coordinate with European officials regarding the issue of Chinese military aircraft directing their radar at Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets.

In video conferences with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Koizumi explained the radar incident and the joint flight of Chinese and Russian bombers around Japan. In each talk, Japanese and European officials shared “serious concern” regarding the issues.

Koizumi and Crosetto confirmed “their intention to further promote Japan-Italy defense cooperation” in the talks.

Koizumi and Rutte agreed to continue working closely to “further advance cooperation” between NATO and the Indo-Pacific Four – comprising Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.

Keiichi Ichikawa, secretary general of national security in the Cabinet Secretariat, held phone talks with Gunter Sautter, Germany’s foreign policy and security advisor, on Wednesday. As Germany and China held a foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday, Ichikawa is believed to have sought understanding for Japan’s position, as a countermeasure against China.

The Japanese government aims to gain international support.

“We’ll continue to explain and convey our country’s position and views to the international community,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference on Thursday.