Yokosuka: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Tuesday emphasized Japan’s role as increasingly important as the alliance keeps a close watch on China’s military expansion. “Tokyo is of particular importance,” stated Rutte, highlighting the swift build-up of Beijing’s armed forces, particularly its navy.
According to Anadolu Agency, Rutte remarked on the necessity of collaboration during his visit to the Yokosuka Naval Base on Honshu Island, cautioning against naivety and stressing the need for joint efforts to understand the developments in the region. He mentioned that the United States has encouraged NATO to enhance its cooperation with the Indo-Pacific Four-Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea-in areas such as defense, industrial capacity, and innovation, rather than through collective defense under Article 5.
Rutte expressed NATO’s concern about China’s recent military exercises near Taiwan. His visit comes shortly after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s trip to Japan, where Hegseth reaffirmed the US-Japanese alliance as central to the Indo-Pacific’s freedom, prosperity, security, and peace.
Last year, there were reports that NATO was contemplating establishing its first office in Asia, potentially in Tokyo. In January, Japan initiated its own NATO mission in Brussels. Meanwhile, Beijing and North Korea have voiced opposition to NATO’s presence in the region, accusing it of attempting to establish an ‘Asian NATO.’
Japan remains the sole member of the Group of Seven that is not part of NATO. Rutte is currently in Tokyo for a two-day visit and is anticipated to meet with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other officials.