The Foreign Ministers' Meeting between NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization and partner countries such as Japan has begun in Belgium.
At the meeting, I also exchanged views with Foreign Minister Hayashi and other foreign ministers of Indo-Pacific partner countries.

The NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held from around 4:5 p.m. on the 6th, Japan time, with the participation of Finland, which officially joined NATO on the 31th, as well as Sweden, which has applied for membership.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Hayashi said, "I would like to emphasize the importance of cooperation between Japan and NATO in order to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law as the international community is at a historic turning point."

Finnish Foreign Minister Harvist was also delighted to become the <>st member of NATO, saying, "A new era has begun for Finland and yesterday was a celebration, which we have been waiting for for a long time as the war continues in Europe."

At the beginning of the meeting, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg expressed his recognition that increasing defense spending will be an important topic of discussion at the summit scheduled for July as Russia's military invasion of Ukraine continues.

Minister Hayashi is believed to be explaining that Prime Minister Kishida visited Ukraine last month and met with President Zelensky and conveyed his policy of supporting non-lethal equipment through NATO funds.

In addition, as the security environment in East Asia becomes increasingly severe, such as China's hegemonic moves and North Korea's successive ballistic missile launches, it seems that the Japan is seeking understanding of the new "National Security Strategy" decided last year.

NATO also held an expanded meeting inviting four Indo-Pacific countries, including Japan, and Foreign Minister Hayashi attended the meeting from Japan.

At the expanded meeting, Russia and China, which continue to invade Ukraine, are deepening their cooperation, and they are expected to discuss strengthening cooperation with NATO, including Japan that share values such as democracy and the rule of law.