(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I would like to inform you about a meeting with the Secretary General of NATO. On Tuesday, April 8 of next week, I will welcome to the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and hold a meeting with NATO Secretary General Rutte. This will be our first meeting since we last met on the margins of the NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting last October. NATO is a partner that shares fundamental values and responsibility for global security challenges with Japan. Under the Japan-NATO Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP), which was formulated two years ago in 2023, we have deepened cooperation in a range of areas, including cyber, space, strategic communication, and enhancement of interoperability. Last October’s NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting, where I previously met with Secretary General Rutte, invited for the first time defense ministers from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea, the so-called Indo-Pacific Four (IP4). In this manner, Japan-NATO relations are continuing to make significant progress. Against this backdrop, it is highly meaningful that Secretary General Rutte and I will have an opportunity for high-level dialogue to further expand cooperation and exchanges. At the upcoming meeting, we plan to hold concrete discussions toward further advancing security and defense cooperation between Japan and NATO, under the recognition that the security of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is inseparable. Additionally, on this occasion, Secretary General Rutte is scheduled to visit Maritime Self-Defense Force Yokosuka Naval Base. MOD hopes that Secretary General Rutte will gain a deeper understanding of the Self-Defense Forces through this visit, which will lead to the further advancement of Japan-NATO cooperation. Furthermore, during his stay, Secretary General Rutte is scheduled to attend a meeting with the Japanese delegation to the NATO PA, the Diet Members’ Council for Comprehensive Security (DMCCS) of which I have served as chair for nearly 20 years. The meeting will commence at 3:30 p.m. on April 9 at the Members’ Office Building. Secretary General Rutte is also scheduled to hold informal talks with members of the DMCCS at the Diet.