NATO Secretary General calls Japan 'natural partner'
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stressed the value of closer cooperation with Japan, closer links with the Asia-Pacific region and global partnerships in a speech delivered on Monday (15 April) at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. The Secretary General said that an even deeper and broader relationship between NATO and Japan, built on their long-standing partnership, can help make the world a safer place.
Mr. Rasmussen is on a three-day visit to Japan, during which he will sign the first Joint Political Declaration between Japan and NATO with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Secretary General is also meeting in Tokyo with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida, Minister of Defence Itsunori Onodera and members of the Japanese Parliament (Diet).