The idea of an “Asian NATO” floated by Japan’s new prime minister is one to consider in the mid- to long-term but not imminent, the new foreign minister, Takeshi Iwaya, said on Wednesday.
No One Wants An Asian NATO
The idea of an “Asian NATO” floated by Japan’s new prime minister is one to consider in the mid- to long-term but not imminent, the new foreign minister, Takeshi Iwaya, said on Wednesday. Asian nations have expressed skepticism and reticence in response to the call from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who took up his post on Tuesday.
“I think it’s one idea for the future,” among efforts to create a multi-layered network of like-minded countries and boost regional deterrence, Iwaya told a news conference in Tokyo. In a paper to the Hudson Institute thinktank in September, Ishiba had argued for locking Washington into an “Asian NATO” as a way to deter China from using military force in Asia.
Bharat Stand
On Tuesday, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar countered that the South Asian country did not share the vision for an “Asian NATO,” saying it had never been an ally of another country and took a different approach.
USA Stand
The United States has also quietly brushed off the idea. It was too early for such talk, Daniel Kritenbrink, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, said last month.
