Japan Prime Minister Ishiba, NATO Secretary General Rutte Agree to Boost Security Cooperation During Talks in Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:15 JST, April 10, 2025

Japan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in a range of areas to increase their ability to address security challenges.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for about 45 minutes at the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday. A joint statement issued after the meeting said both sides “recognize that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and of the Indo-Pacific are interconnected, and that we face many of the same challenges.” This was a nod to the threats posed by Russia and China.

This was Rutte’s first visit to Japan since he became secretary general in October 2024. During the talks, Ishiba said the need for security cooperation “has increased even further” at a time when the international security situation “has become increasingly severe.” Rutte said he wanted to further strengthen cooperation with Japan.

The joint statement said “continuing Japan-NATO cooperation will benefit the security … of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific regions,” and that both parties “strongly condemn” the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. The statement also expressed “concern” over China’s support to Russia’s defense industrial base.

With regard to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ishiba and Rutte affirmed the importance of diplomatic efforts to achieve “a just and lasting peace.” The leaders recognized that ending the conflict in Ukraine in a way that is advantageous to Russia could also influence China, which has been ramping up pressure on Taiwan. In comments made with China in mind, the joint statement also said Japan and NATO “strongly oppose” any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China and South China seas, and “emphasize the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

According to the statement, Japan and NATO will accelerate defense industrial cooperation with a view to developing dual-use and advanced technologies. Both sides are considering working together in fields including drones and artificial intelligence.