NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has kicked off a groundbreaking two-day visit to Japan, underscoring the alliance’s ambition to ramp up military-industrial cooperation. This high-profile trip, which started on Tuesday, includes visits to Yokosuka Naval Base and Mitsubishi Electric Kamakura Works in Kanagawa Prefecture, and marks a significant step towards deeper military collaboration between NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners, particularly Japan.
With China’s rapidly expanding military capabilities, Rutte emphasised the need for NATO and its Indo-Pacific allies to join forces. “China is building up its armed forces, including its navy, at a rapid pace. We cannot be naive; we must assess what is happening together,” he warned during his visit to Yokosuka.
The primary focus of Rutte’s visit is to strengthen ties with the four NATO Indo-Pacific partners (IP4), Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, especially in the fields of joint defence and industrial capacity building. Japan, being the largest of the IP4 countries and the only G7 member not in NATO, plays a pivotal role in this effort.
Rutte confirmed that the U.S. had requested NATO’s involvement in the region, not in a formal defence capacity, but to enhance collaborative defence, industrial production, and technological innovations. He noted that this visit marks the first time a NATO chief has discussed such matters directly with Japanese defence industries to identify how both sides can ramp up production and better align their defence technologies.
As Japan relaxes its defence export restrictions to bolster its own industrial base, NATO sees an opportunity to take its cooperation with Japan to the “next level.” Some experts even suggest this could involve joint production of dual-use technologies or collaboration between emerging defence startups.
Rutte’s visit also includes high-level talks with Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani, with discussions set to focus on advancing NATO-Japan cooperation in various fields. Later, he will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and trade minister Yoji Muto, as well as representatives from Japanese tech startups showcasing dual-use products.
The NATO chief is also scheduled to speak at Keio University, reinforcing the idea that the security of both the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is now more interconnected than ever.
This visit follows significant progress in NATO-Japan relations, which were formalised last year with the Individually Tailored Partnership Program (ITPP). This partnership extends well beyond traditional military concerns to areas like cybersecurity, emerging technologies, and countering disinformation, paving the way for a new era of strategic cooperation.
