Japan’s new top diplomat calls ‘Asian NATO’ an idea for the future

Newly appointed Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Wednesday described the “Asian NATO” concept proposed by his boss, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, as one worth exploring in the mid- to long-term.

The idea of an Asian version of NATO is “certainly one idea for the future,” the 67-year-old Iwaya said, but “one that should be carefully considered over the medium to long term.”

“I think it is quite difficult to immediately establish a framework in Asia that would impose mutual defense obligations,” he said in his first news conference as Ishiba’s foreign minister, emphasizing nonetheless that the concept is not directed at any specific country.

In an apparent signal that such a grouping would be open to including rivals such as China, he said that the ideal would be to establish a cooperative security relationship across the Indo-Pacific and Asia that welcomes all countries and partners without exclusion.

“The stability of East Asia indeed contributes to global stability,” he said, calling the idea of an Asian NATO one of several approaches that could help achieve this.

Amid growing military assertiveness from China and as North Korea continues to expand its nuclear arsenal, the region faces a common challenge in the need to strengthen deterrence against unilateral attempts to change the status quo, Iwaya said.

Still, the new top diplomat said that dialogue — especially with its powerhouse neighbor China — is essential to easing rising tensions.

Tokyo needs to “persistently and carefully” engage in dialogue with Beijing to build trust and prevent tensions from escalating as much as possible, he added.