TOKYO, July 10. /TASS/. The notion of a "global NATO," extending activity beyond the borders of the Euro-Atlantic region, is gaining traction, as evidenced by Japan’s more frequent military drills with the alliance’s countries, according to Daisuke Kawai, one of the leading Japanese experts on military issues.
The deputy director of the Economic Security Research Program at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) at the University of Tokyo told a TASS correspondent that the "North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been gradually opening up to the idea of a ‘global NATO.’ It presumes that the alliance’s activity must not be limited to the geographic framework of the North Atlantic but should spread to other countries sharing common political and economic principles. Japan conducting joint drills with NATO countries aligns with this idea."
"Above all, this increases the joint compatibility of our armed forces," the expert said. "Drills with various military systems and operational rules will enable effective cooperation in the event of an actual emergency. This involves, in particular, the joint training exercise between the air forces of Japan, France, Germany and Spain and the drills involving the Japanese, Dutch and Turkish navies later this year," he explained.
According to the expert, the increase in these kinds of drills "is also related to Russia and North Korea concluding a de-facto union in the security sphere." In his opinion, "the joint exercise will help convince the alliance’s European countries that North Korea, Japan’s main adversary, should also concern them from the point of view of security."
France unwilling to provoke China
The expert concedes that NATO venturing outside the Euro-Atlantic zone may not please everyone. "There is a possibility that NATO’s activity in the Indian-Pacific region will be met with resistance, in particular, from France and other countries who are against provoking China," he noted. "With more and more leaders in European NATO countries moving to prioritize their own national interests, this could also play a role," Kawai added.
On July 10 and 11, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to participate in a NATO summit in Washington. This is his third time attending such a meeting. There, he intends to hold a number of multilateral and bilateral talks. Tokyo is a NATO permanent partner with a Japanese mission operating at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.