Japan ‘not pursuing Asian NATO,’ says top diplomat

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - Japan's newly appointed Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Wednesday said he is not pursuing the proposal by new prime minister to establish an “Asian NATO,” saying the idea cannot be immediately materialized.

"I think it's one idea for the future. It's difficult to immediately set up a mechanism that would impose mutual defense obligations in Asia," Iwaya said while addressing his inaugural press conference in Tokyo.

The US and India have already rejected the idea.

The “Asian NATO” proposal was floated by Premier Shigeru Ishiba ahead of his victory in the ruling party leadership election on Friday.

According to him, such an alliance would bolster security in Asia.

Responding to a query whether it was targeting China, Iwaya said that the proposed framework would not be aimed at any specific country.

Echoing Iwaya’s remarks, Japan’s new Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said there is no instruction from the prime minister to pursue the proposal.

"In his instructions yesterday, the prime minister did not mention anything about considering something like an Asian version of NATO," Nakatani said in his maiden press conference after being appointed by Ishiba.

Expressing skepticism over the proposal, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Tuesday said his country did not share Ishiba's vision.

Last month, Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, said it was too early to discuss such a proposal.​​​​​​​

- Relations with China

Iwaya said Tokyo wants a “stable relationship” with China based on common interests, although “what we need to assert will be asserted. But also, we seek China to behave responsibly,” South China Morning Post reported.

He said he hopes to meet China’s top diplomat Wang Yi as soon as possible for “frank exchanges and dialogue.”

"I want to strengthen dialogue with China, an important neighbor. Japan and China have extremely important responsibilities for the peace and prosperity of the region and the international community," he added.

The two sides, he went on to say, need to build constructive and stable relations in which they demand what they should and cooperate when they should.

Relations between the two neighbors have further plummeted as Beijing builds up its military presence around disputed territories, while Tokyo boosts security ties with the US and its allies.