(Press Release: Provisional Translation)
October 17, 2024
Ministry of Defense Japan
On October 17, commencing at 12:15 (local time) for approximately 20 minutes, Minister Nakatani paid a courtesy call to Mr Rutte, NATO Secretary General.
Minister Nakatani expressed congratulation to Mr Rutte’s appointment as the Secretary General, and reiterated his appreciation for invitation of IP4 including Japan to the NATO Defense Ministerial Meeting.
Minister Nakatani also stated that, under the increasingly complex and severe global security environment, there is a growing importance of cooperation among the like-minded countries including NATO and its member states, and that he is encouraged to see continued engagement by the NATO to the Indo-Pacific region.
Both sides concurred to further promote practical defense cooperation on cyber, space, strategic communication and enhancement of interoperability based on the Japan-NATO Individually Tailored Partnership Programme formulated last year. In addition, both sides confirmed to strengthen cooperation between NATO and IP4 including Japan.
Lastly, Secretary General Rutte delivered his appreciation for Japan’s support to Ukraine.
Meeting between Defense Minister Nakatani and NATO Secretary General(PDF)