Japan has expressed interest in joining the NATO command for its Ukrainian mission, based in Germany, to deepen security cooperation with the alliance. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announced the interest during talks with NATO Secretary General in Tokyo.
The potential participation would help Japan learn from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and strengthen ties with NATO in areas such as crisis response and cyber defense. Japan’s cooperation is not expected to involve combat, in line with its post-World War II tradition of limiting its military’s role.