TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — NATO will open a representative office in Japan, marking the military alliance’s first permanent liaison office in Asia.

Nikkei reported on Wednesday (May 3) that the plans had been confirmed by Japanese and NATO officials. Opening a NATO office in Japan was discussed by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg when the pair met in Tokyo late January.

Both sides are reportedly still negotiating funding arrangements for the one-person NATO liaison office which will open in Tokyo next year. If Japan were to fund the office, it would be an important and highly symbolic step towards widening the military alliance’s focus from North America and Europe to the Asia-Pacific.

Japan has also committed to opening a dedicated mission to NATO in Belgium, in addition to its existing embassy. NATO and Japan will reportedly also sign a cooperation agreement on cyber security, “emerging and disruptive technologies”, and combatting disinformation before the next NATO summit in June.

The NATO station will allow the military alliance to deepen cooperation with Japan and other regional powers such as South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, as China’s influence grows. Both Australia and New Zealand committed to greater intelligence sharing and cooperation on regional security issues with Japan in 2022, and the leaders of both countries also attended a NATO summit in Madrid in June 2022.

NATO’s “2022 Strategic Concept”, akin to the alliance’s white paper, stated intentions to “strengthen dialogue and cooperation with new and existing partners in the Indo-Pacific to tackle cross-regional challenges and shared security interests." It also identified China as a threat to its “interests, security, and values,” citing the country’s cyber-attacks, deepening cooperation with Russia, and growing economic clout.

In February, Stoltenberg gave a speech in Japan in which he said that China’s threats against Taiwan have “no justification” and that a conflict around Taiwan would be detrimental to all. “Beijing is substantially building up its military forces, including nuclear weapons, without any transparency. It is attempting to assert control over the South China Sea, and threatening Taiwan,” he said.

Stoltenberg added:“We don't regard China as an adversary and we don't seek confrontation with China, actually, we don't see confrontation with anyone. NATO is a defensive alliance. We will continue to engage with China on issues where we see common or potential common interests, on arms control, on climate change and other issues.”