NATO removes Tokyo office mention from joint communique

Alliance seeks to engage with Indo-Pacific, but differences remain over approach

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomes South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to the Vilnius summit on July 11. © Reuters

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

July 11, 2023 20:58 JST

Updated on July 11, 2023 22:35 JST

VILNIUS, Lithuania -- The establishment of a NATO office in Tokyo has been left uncertain after language regarding the proposal was removed from a final joint communique of the alliance summit.

A sentence noting that NATO would continue discussions with the Japanese government toward opening a liaison office in Tokyo had survived several rounds of discussions, but was deleted in the last round of talks, a source told Nikkei Asia.