On Jan. 16, Japan formally inaugurated an independent mission to NATO, becoming the first nation in the Asia-Pacific to do so. The move had been discussed and planned for months, but the announcement is now official. Izawa Osamu became Japan’s new ambassador to Washington.
After the signing, Japanese and NATO officials held discussions regarding security, reported AP. A NATO official told NHK News that both NATO and Japan “share concerns about China’s heavy military build-up and destabilizing activities in the Indo-Pacific.”