Nakatani Attends NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting; Affirms Security Cooperation along with South Korea, NZ, Australia

By Naohiro Tamura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

15:02 JST, October 18, 2024

BRUSSELS — Defense Minister Gen Nakatani attended a meeting of defense ministers of North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations in Brussels on Thursday, together with the defense chiefs of South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

During the meeting, the participating ministers affirmed the view that the peace and stability of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are inseparable and agreed to strengthen their security cooperation.

Regarding the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) — Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand — as its partner countries, NATO invited them to this defense ministers’ meeting, the first one that they have been asked to attend.

Nakatani said, “It is … important to deepen cooperation with like-minded countries that share basic values and strategic interests, and to further promote cooperation between Japan and NATO as well as NATO and the IP4.”

He called for strengthening cooperation to counter attempts by China and Russia to change the status quo by force.

Regarding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Nakatani stated Japan’s intention to continue its support for Ukraine and provide the country with additional Self-Defense Force vehicles. He also referred to large-scale military exercises conducted by the Chinese military surrounding Taiwan on Monday and shared concerns with other countries.

Ahead of the NATO meeting, Nakatani met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and stated that he was “encouraged to see continued engagement” by NATO in the Indo-Pacific region.

On the sidelines of the NATO meeting, Nakatani held bilateral talks with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, while also meeting together with his counterparts from the other IP4 countries.