Japan expressed interest Tuesday in participating in the NATO command for its Ukrainian mission based in Germany in what would be a major boost in ties with the largely European alliance.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announced his country’s interest during talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Tokyo. After providing the war-torn country with defense equipment and support, Japan now wants to join NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, or NSATU, headquartered at a U.S. base in the German town of Wiesbaden.
Details of the mission, including the possibility of sending any Japan Self Defense Force members to Wiesbaden, were still to be discussed. But any Japanese cooperation was not expected to involve combat, in line with what has been Tokyo’s post-World War II tradition of limiting its military’s role.
Nakatani said Japan wants to further deepen security cooperation with NATO and that participation in the NSATU mission would help Tokyo learn lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Japan has said that Russia’s war on Ukraine underscores that security risks in Europe and Asia are inseparable, and Tokyo has sought closer ties with NATO while also joining the United States in expanding defense ties with other friendly nations in the Indo-Pacific.
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Japan considers China a threat in the region and has in recent years accelerated its military buildup, including preparing to acquire strike-back capability with long-range cruise missiles.
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NATO has stepped up its ties with Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, known as the IP4, in recent years, with their officials attending NATO ministerial and summit meetings.
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Here’s hoping that Taiwan joins in. The more XP that none-Chinese nations in the Indo-Pacific get, the better they can resist unprovoked aggression.
America certainly isn’t fit to protect anyone decent.
Taiwan will never join in, even if they wanted to. It would stir the pot too much with China.
But Japan’s presence also means it hopes to gain aid for when China invades Japan. That may sound silly, but China claims a lot of Japanese islands as theirs. Some of which are very close to Taiwan.
The same was said with Ukraine. The pot with China is going to keep itself stirring as long as Taiwan remains independent.
The way things stand China might well end up providing the communist dictatorship to the new allies vs the American-Russian Axis
Not just America, but specifically the USA portion of it
Taiwan making any cooperative military action not coordinated by the US would likely kick off some serious shit. China’s not about to let that happen.
Short of China attacking Russia to reclaim territory, I think war will inevitably come to Taiwan’s shores. The US, as it is, won’t protect anybody.
Taiwan getting raped is definitely on my BINGO card. Humpty Trumpty won’t do anything to help.
Is a Russian invasion of the Baltics on your card? Or do you think that is unlikely?
After they finish the take over of Ukraine, I would say every country is at risk. I don’t know enough of the area to gauge which is at most danger.
At this point a comete takeover of Ukraine is possible but not likely.
US standing up to China in the SCS is the only thing that I think is still at play for the US. The military positioning was already set up, and the ego harm would be too great. Maybe they negotiate it away instead.