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Yomiuri Shimbun file photo The main gate of the Defense Ministry is seen in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.
By Naohiro Tamura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
14:37 JST, October 19, 2024
BRUSSELS —Defense Minister Gen Nakatani expressed deep concerns about the growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization defense ministers’ meeting in Belgium on Thursday.
During the meeting, Nakatani pointed out that China and Russia are accelerating the strengthening of their ties, as well as Russia and North Korea. He warned that this could not only worsen the situation in Ukraine but also pose a serious threat to regional security surrounding Japan. Nakatani stressed that Japan needs to advance security cooperation with NATO.
His comments specifically referred to increased China and Russia joint military activities near Japan, North Korea providing weapons and personnel to Russia and in return, Russia supplying North Korea with military technology.
Nakatani also addressed the Chinese military drills conducted around Taiwan on Monday, sounding the alarm that attempts to unilaterally change the status quo through force or coercion are intensifying in the Indo-Pacific region. However, he did not mention Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s idea of an “Asian NATO.”
NATO has been strengthening its cooperation with Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and for the first time, invited all four countries to the meeting.
