Japan Working Towards Opening of NATO Liaison Office in Tokyo

Japan is working towards the opening of a NATO liaison office in Tokyo, Japan's Ambassador to the US Koji Tomita said on Tuesday.
Tomita made the comment at an event hosted by the National Press Club in Washington when asked about a report in the Nikkei Asia this month saying that the US-led alliance was planning to open such an office, its first in Asia, to facilitate consultations in the region, Reuters reported.

"The point you mentioned is one of the things that we are working on to strengthen our partnership. But I really haven't heard any final confirmation of that, but we are working in that direction," he said.

NATO has not confirmed the Nikkei report, saying it would not go into details of NATO allies' ongoing deliberations.

Tomita, who was briefing on the G7 summit Japan will host in Hiroshima from May 19-21, said the meeting would be looking for closer alignment of the group's approach towards China.