Japan has formally launched an independent diplomatic mission to NATO, reflecting its growing collaboration with the alliance as tensions rise with Russia, China and North Korea.

Previously managed under the Japanese embassy in Belgium, the NATO mission now operates independently, led by Osamu Izawa. He succeeds Masahiro Mikami, Japan's ambassador to Belgium, in representing Tokyo’s interests with the military alliance.

On January 16, Japan and NATO held high-level discussions in Tokyo, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release, focusing on security challenges in East Asia and Europe.

The consultations underscore Japan’s increasing engagement with NATO, a trend that has accelerated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the deepening partnership between Moscow and Beijing.

While Japan is not a member of NATO, its collaboration with the alliance has grown, alongside ties with other Indo-Pacific partners, including Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. In part this reflects and comes in response to China’s growing territorial aggression in East Asia and around the South China Sea but also demonstrates NATO’s broader efforts to engage with nations outside its traditional sphere as geopolitical tensions widen.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed support for the concept of a NATO-like security framework in Asia, although specific details remain undeveloped and political differences between Tokyo and Seoul are unlikely to see this being realised any time soon.

As such, the move closer to NATO also aligns with broader efforts by nations sharing security concerns to bolster cooperation amidst intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China.

In recent years, China has frequently criticised NATO’s engagement with Indo-Pacific partners, warning against the formation of a similar alliance in the region. Beijing views such moves as an extension of US-led efforts to contain its influence, heightening concerns over an arms race or further division in the region.

Meanwhile, Japan’s relationship with Russia also continues to deteriorate. Once characterised by economic cooperation and dialogue over a number of Japanese islands known as the Northern Territories in Japan, and the Kuril Islands in Moscow – the islands were seized in a land-grab by Russian forces at the end of World War II – ties have recently been strained by Tokyo’s alignment with Western sanctions against Moscow and Tokyo's support for Ukraine.