Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stressed the importance of Japan creating a more strong ties with NATO because of Russia's growing military cooperation with North Korea, which poses a significant threat to both regional stability and global peace. Kishida's remarks were made public before his participation in a NATO summit in Washington, BTA reports.
Kishida expressed concern about what he perceived as China's support for Russia's conflict in Ukraine, which has now been going on for more than two years, although he did not mention China by name.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the problems facing Ukraine today could very well affect East Asia tomorrow.
Kishida's call to action includes a united front to address emerging security threats that know no borders, such as cyber warfare and conflicts in space.
Japan, along with South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, form the Indo-Pacific Quartet. These countries are stepping up their involvement in global security discussions by participating in the NATO Leaders' Summit in Washington, D.C., scheduled for July 10-11.