Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Travels to U.S. and Germany for NATO Summit and Security Cooperation

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida embarked on a trip to the United States and Germany to attend a NATO summit and enhance security collaboration with Germany. This visit marks Kishida's third consecutive year participating in the NATO summit, a platform where he is anticipated to emphasize the increasing cooperation among member nations towards a unified security front. Additionally, Kishida is scheduled to engage in bilateral talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and various other leaders during his stay in Washington.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi conveyed at a press briefing that Prime Minister Kishida's presence at the NATO summit aims to underscore the interconnected nature of security in the Euro-Atlantic region with that of the Indo-Pacific, thereby strengthening Japan-NATO relations. Noteworthy is the inclusion of Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, collectively referred to as the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4), in NATO summits annually since 2022 due to the heightened tensions resulting from Russia's actions towards Ukraine. The upcoming summit will witness Kishida's participation alongside the leaders of the IP4 nations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where discussions on regional security are expected to occur.

Moreover, Prime Minister Kishida will hold discussions with new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who recently joined NATO. Post his engagements in Washington, Kishida is slated to travel to Germany, marking the first visit by a Japanese premier for non-conference purposes in seven years. The deliberations between Kishida and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are anticipated to revolve around setting up an intergovernmental consultation framework on economic security to counter instances of "economic coercion" employed by countries like China through unfair trade practices that exert pressure on others.