Japan's Motegi, NATO's Rutte discuss further support for Ukraine

Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, stating that Japan will continue to deepen its relations with NATO and provide assistance to Ukraine.

That is according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Ukrinform reports.

At the beginning of the meeting, Motegi emphasized that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is inseparable. Therefore, cooperation between NATO and Japan, as well as other partners such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, is strategically important.

"He [Motegi] added that Japan intends to elevate relations with NATO to new heights through concrete cooperation in various fields including defense equipment and industrial cooperation," the statement said.

For his part, Rutte said he fully shares this view and would like to further develop the Japan-NATO relationship in various fields.

Rutte also highly valuated Japan's cooperation with NATO, including its support for Ukraine through NATO.

The statement added that Motegi and Rutte exchanged views on regional situations, including Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific, and confirmed that Japan and NATO, as well as NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners will continue to work closely together.

In recent years, Japan has been actively developing cooperation with NATO. In January 2025, the country opened a separate permanent mission to NATO headquarters in Brussels. In April, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Tokyo. Then-Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed with him to expand cooperation in the defense industry.

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan