“NATO to Open First Liaison Office in Asia in Tokyo for Partners in Indo-Pacific Region”

The Atlantic Alliance plans to open a liaison office in Japan, the first of its kind in Asia, for regular consultations with its partners in the Indo-Pacific region, according to leaks from the Nikkei newspaper published on Wednesday (3 May).

This office, which would be located in Tokyo, would serve as a link between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and its main partners in the region, in particular South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, faced with the growing influence of China in an area traditionally more oriented towards Russia.

The origin of the project dates back to a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the end of January, during a visit by the Norwegian politician to Japan.

In April, the alliance reportedly circulated a draft proposal to its 31 members, according to Nikkei sources, who say the idea is for the opening to take place in 2024.

NATO has similar offices at the United Nations in New York, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, Georgia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova and Kuwait.

The possibility of the Japanese government offering space for the facilities is still being negotiated, which, if appropriate, would be a way to fund a Western military alliance and a new phase of defense cooperation between the two. country.

Tokyo also plans to initial an Individualized NATO Partnership Program (ITPP) to deepen bilateral collaboration on cybersecurity, emerging technologies and disinformation.

The aim is to sign the agreement before the NATO summit scheduled for July 11-12 in Vilnius, Lithuania, according to the Nikkei sources.