Japanese Foreign Minister Attends NATO Meeting; Iwaya Cites Security Concerns Shared by Europe, Asia

By Shinsuke Uemura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

17:25 JST, April 4, 2025

BRUSSELS — Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya stressed the indivisibility of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

His comments were made bearing in mind concerns about military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and about China’s increasingly hegemonic moves.

NATO allies and other partner countries, including Japan, attended the meeting. This was the first instance of participation by a Japanese foreign minister in two years, following Yoshimasa Hayashi’s attendance in 2023.

At the meeting, with China in mind, Iwaya stated, “Unilateral attempts to forcibly change the status quo are continuing and intensifying in areas including the East and South China Seas.”

He also cautioned that military cooperation between Russia and North Korea “will not only exacerbate the situation in Ukraine, but will also have a significant impact on the security of the Indo-Pacific region.”

“It is important for the international community to collectively demonstrate that we will not allow unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force,” he said.

After the meeting, Iwaya told reporters, “We were able to share the recognition that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are important for the stability of the entire international community.”

Iwaya also met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine.