Japan to welcome 30 Nato envoys as Trump rattles US allies
Tokyo and the transatlantic security alliance have a shared problem: what happens if the US walks away?
The Nato envoys will reportedly hold talks on China’s expanding regional influence, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and the implications of a more volatile global security order, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
“A delegation of this size underlines just how important this is to both sides,” said Ben Ascione, an assistant professor of politics and international relations at Waseda University in Tokyo, adding that the visit reflected “a long-term trend”.
Japan opened a permanent mission to Nato in Brussels in January last year as it and the rest of the so-called Indo-Pacific Four – South Korea, Australia and New Zealand – have been steadily deepening cooperation with the alliance.
It cannot have been lost on Tokyo that the US is no longer a reliable ally under Trump