Japan Follows South Korea in Deciding Not to Attend NATO Summit Citing Middle East Tensions

"Ishiba Coordinating Possible Absence from NATO Summit"

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held a press conference on the 22nd (local time) at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo regarding the U.S. airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Photo by EPA

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is reportedly coordinating to cancel his originally scheduled attendance at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, according to local media outlets such as NHK and Kyodo News on the 23rd.

According to multiple government officials, Prime Minister Ishiba is discussing the possibility of canceling his attendance at the summit and postponing his visit to the Netherlands, where the NATO summit will be held, due to the escalating tensions in the Middle East following the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Previously, the Japanese government officially announced on the 20th that Prime Minister Ishiba would attend the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, scheduled for June 24 to 26. However, after the United States directly intervened in the Iran-Israel war on the 21st, it is now observed that the government is leaning toward non-attendance. As a result, the Japanese government is reportedly also considering having Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya attend the summit as a representative.

Additionally, the possibility that the leaders of countries involved in Korea-U.S.-Japan relations may not attend the summit is believed to have influenced this decision. NHK reported, "It appears that the decision was made considering the possibility that U.S. President Donald Trump may also not attend, and that Korean President Lee Jaemyung, who was also invited, has decided not to participate."

Previously, President Lee Jaemyung officially announced on the 22nd that he would not attend the NATO summit. The presidential office stated in a written briefing, "After comprehensively considering various domestic issues and uncertainties arising from the situation in the Middle East, it has been decided that the President will not attend in person this time."

President Lee had reportedly been preparing to prioritize attending the NATO summit, but after the U.S. airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities and the subsequent Middle East crisis on the 21st, the decision was changed to not participate. The presidential office mentioned, "The issue of other government officials attending as representatives will be discussed with the NATO side."

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO has been inviting four countries?South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand (referred to as IP4, the Indo-Pacific Four)?to the summit. This move is interpreted as an effort to strengthen strategic alliances with major democratic countries in the Asia-Pacific region and to establish a global security cooperation framework to counter China and Russia.