Meeting between Prime Minister Ishiba and NATO Secretary General Rutte (Summary)

On April 9, commencing at 6:10 p.m. for approximately 45 minutes, Mr. ISHIBA Shigeru, Prime Minister of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), during his visit to Japan. Following a joint press conference after the meeting, a working dinner was held for about 85 minutes starting at 7:15 p.m. The overview of the meeting is as follows. At this occasion, a joint statement was issued. Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Mr. NAKATANI Gen, Minister of Defense attended the series of events.
 
1. Introduction
(1) At the outset, Prime Minister Ishiba welcomed Secretary General Rutte’s visit to Japan, as his first visit to the Indo-Pacific region after assuming office. 
(2) Prime Minister Ishiba stated that as the international security environment has become increasingly severe, it is our shared recognition that the security of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is inseparable, and the need for security cooperation among NATO and Indo-Pacific partners, including Japan, has increased even further. Prime Minister Ishiba also emphasized that Japan would like to cooperate with NATO in order to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law.
(3) In response, Secretary General Rutte stated that he is pleased to have the first face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Ishiba, and that he hopes to further strengthen the Japan-NATO cooperation, including in the field of the defense industry, through this visit.
 
2. Japan-NATO Relationship
(1) Prime Minister Ishiba stated that a strong NATO benefits Japan as well, and paid respect to Secretary General Rutte on his leadership bridging Europe and the United States.
(2) Both sides confirmed that Japan-NATO partnership is of strategic importance for the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific regions. They also confirmed that strengthening defence industrial cooperation is a shared priority and concurred to promote cooperation in this area.
(3) In addition, both sides concurred to further deepen cooperation in various fields, including cyber, maritime security, strategic communications, and interoperability, in order to elevate the Japan-NATO cooperation to a new height.
 
3. International and Regional Situations
(1) Both sides exchanged views on situations regarding Russia's aggression against Ukraine, including the current military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and confirmed the importance of diplomatic efforts, which are currently ongoing, by relevant countries to achieve a just and lasting peace. Secretary General Rutte expressed his gratitude for Japan's support for Ukraine again. Both sides concurred on continued coordination so as to avoid situations where wrong precedents can be drawn for the realization of peace in Ukraine.
(2) Both sides exchanged views on the situations in East Asia, and confirmed continuous cooperation with like-minded countries including NATO. In addition, both sides discussed the advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile activities as well as its malicious cyber activities including cryptocurrency thefts, which funds such nuclear and missile activities, and concurred to continue to work closely together on these issues. Prime Minister Ishiba also asked for understanding and cooperation from NATO for the immediate resolution of the abductions issue and gained its support.
(3) Both sides confirmed the need to work together among like-minded countries in response to security challenges across the regions, including the advancement of the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and concurred to continue information sharing and cooperation.