NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization

A strategic dialogue involving high-level discussions held alternatively in Japan and at NATO Headquarters in Brussels has been ongoing since the early nineties. The initial NATO-Japan exchanges initiated more structured and regular contact. NATO’s Secretary General visited Tokyo in April 2005 and again in December 2007. The then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also addressed the North Atlantic Council in January 2007. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto visited NATO Headquarters on 3 May 2011 and met the Secretary General.

In a development that demonstrates the intensification of relations between NATO and Japan in recent years, Japanese officials have also participated in a number of meetings with Allies focusing on peace and security issues of mutual interest, such as North Korea, assistance to Afghanistan, cooperation with Central Asia, missile defence and counter-piracy. Both sides benefit from a regular, informal exchange of views.

Over the years, practical cooperation has also grown to complement political dialogue. This practical cooperation between Japan and NATO focuses on various areas of common interest, including civil emergency planning, cyber defence, defence against terrorism, non-proliferation and crisis management, as well as participation in military activities.

NATO Allies value Japan’s support for peace and security-orientated operations in Afghanistan, where it is involved in a range of projects that enhance ISAF’s capabilities. As of May 2011, Japan had given $2.49 billion worth of assistance to Afghanistan, in addition to providing more than 100 Japanese aid workers.

In particular, Japan has provided financial support to human security projects in numerous regions of Afghanistan since 2007. Facilitated by ISAF, the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) identify critical areas for Japan’s Grassroots Grant Assistance Projects (GAGP).

In 2009, Japan appointed liaison officers to the Lithuanian PRT in Chaghcharan and the Swedish PRT in Mazar-e-Sharif to support these programmes. They also maintain a direct presence in the office of the NATO Senior Civilian Representative to help coordinate the 20 million USD worth of GAGP funding

Additionally, Japan has made generous contributions to a NATO/Partnership for Peace (PfP) Trust Fund project in Afghanistan with a view to enhancing stockpile management and physical security of ammunitions. Japan has assumed the lead of a similar NATO/PfP Trust Fund project in Tajikistan.  Japan has also made valuable contributions to the ANA Trust Fund aimed at equipping and sustaining the Afghan National Army, including $20 million for literacy programmes in February 2012, in addition to procuring medical supplies. Japan also contributed to a NATO/PfP Trust Fund project which enabled the clearing of 571 hectares of contaminated land and the disposal of unexploded ordnance in Azerbaijan.

Japan’s role in Afghanistan is not its first in assisting the Alliance in peace and security-orientated operations. In the 1990s, Japan also played a role in stabilizing the Balkans, where NATO has led several peace-support operations since the mid-1990s. Japan’s contribution as a major donor nation has played an important part in the successful recovery of the Balkans region, as well as its reintegration into the European mainstream. In addition to its role in the Balkans, Japan’s Maritime Self Defence Force has also assisted NATO ships with preventing a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden.

At their meeting in Berlin in April 2011, Allied foreign ministers listed Japan as one of NATO’s partners across the globe.  As such, in the framework of the establishment of a single Partnership Cooperation Menu (PCM) open to all NATO partners, Japan will be able to access a wide range of cooperation activities with the Alliance and develop a more effective individual programme.