NATO not actively seeking Tokyo liaison office: senior US diplomat

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- NATO members are not actively discussing the establishment of a liaison office in Tokyo, a senior U.S. diplomat said Monday at a think tank event.

Douglas Jones, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, said the talk around such an office was "blown way out of proportion," when asked whether the move was still under consideration by the transatlantic alliance as it expands cooperation with Japan and other like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific.

Speaking at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, he added that the nature of NATO or the balance of power in the region would not change, even if such a liaison office were created.

He underscored that it already has such mechanisms aimed at improving communications with international and regional organizations, including the United Nations and the African Union, and that they have not transformed the alliance's posture.

In recent years, NATO has been broadening cooperation with its four Asia-Pacific partners -- Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea -- amid China's rise and its deepening military ties with Russia.

To facilitate coordination with the Asia-Pacific grouping, known as the AP4, NATO had explored the possibility of opening a new office in Tokyo.

But the alliance was internally divided over the necessity of such an institution outside the Euro-Atlantic region, with France expressing opposition to the idea.

As in the past two years, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his counterparts from the other AP4 countries are expected to be invited to take part in a NATO summit this year.

The gathering, marking the 75th anniversary of the alliance, will be hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington in July.