France opposes NATO's establishment of offices in Japan | Japan | NATO

Japanese media reported last month that NATO plans to establish an office in Japan in the next year and use it as a liaison office. The Financial Times reported that there is considerable controversy within NATO regarding this plan. French President Macron expressed opposition and concern.

On June 5th, the Financial Times published an article titled "France opposes NATO's plan to establish an office in Tokyo". French President Macron stated at a forum last week that NATO should not expand its sphere of influence beyond the North Atlantic, and added, "If we push NATO to expand its geographical scope, we will make a big mistake."

The report also stated that France's opposition has further complicated discussions within NATO over the establishment of the first liaison office in the Indo Pacific region in recent months. The establishment of a new NATO liaison office requires the unanimous support of NATO's highest decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, which means France has the right to block this plan.

Japanese Foreign Minister: NATO is discussing without making predictions internally

On the 6th, at a press conference of the Japanese Cabinet, Japanese Foreign Minister Lin Fangzheng stated that negotiations are currently taking place within NATO member countries regarding the establishment of an office in Japan, and no predictions are currently being made.

NATO and Japan began planning to establish mutual offices many years ago

In fact, NATO led by the United States and Japan began planning to establish mutual offices many years ago.

In 2007, then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese government head to visit NATO headquarters in Brussels, proposing for the first time to establish offices with NATO.

In 2018, the Japan Liaison Office to NATO was established in Brussels.

In 2022, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida became the first Japanese Prime Minister to attend a NATO summit and will participate in the NATO summit to be held in Lithuania in July of this year.

In January of this year, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg made a high-profile visit to Japan and reached a consensus with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to "strengthen mutual relations", and discussed the establishment of a NATO office in Japan.

In May of this year, Nikkei Asia published an exclusive news article, citing sources from Japanese and NATO officials, stating that the NATO office in Japan will officially open in 2024.

The relationship between France and NATO has not always been close in history

France's opposition this time is not abnormal. In history, the relationship between France and NATO has not always been close. When NATO was established in 1949, France became one of its founding member states, and at that time NATO even had its headquarters located in Paris, the capital of France.

However, in the 1956 Suez Canal Crisis, the United States' desperate and even desperate actions against France, which was unable to extricate itself from the crisis, greatly hurt France. After Charles de Gaulle came to power in 1958, France made a request to the United States to return its command of troops stationed in NATO, but it was rejected. France also announced its withdrawal from NATO military integration in 1965.

Maintaining independence and autonomy has become a fundamental national policy of France since World War II. Before the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Makron repeatedly emphasized "European independent defense", advocated weakening NATO's influence in Europe and reducing the dependence of the European continent on the security protection of the United States. In 2019, Macron bluntly stated that NATO is heading towards "brain death".

Japanese intellectuals: Japan's collusion with NATO is very wrong

Currently, the United States and its NATO allies intend to intervene in Asia Pacific affairs, and a series of actions in the Asia Pacific region have sparked widespread criticism from international public opinion. Japanese intellectuals have warned that setting up a NATO office in Japan is contrary to Japan's peaceful constitution, and related movements are worthy of vigilance.

Takashi Fujita, Chairman of the "Inheritance and Development Village Mountain Dialogue" in Japan: NATO is a military alliance organization, and Japan has stated to the world in the "Nine Articles of the Constitution" that it will never launch a war, but secretly colludes with NATO, which is very bad.

Cambodian Prime Minister: Concerns over NATO's move towards Asia Pacific

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen pointed out on the 5th that NATO's military power had always existed in Europe, but now NATO is moving towards the Asia Pacific region, which is worrying.

Netizen: NATO may even open a liaison office on the moon in the future

A netizen sarcastically said, "In the future, NATO will establish so-called liaison offices in Africa, the Middle East, Antarctica, the Arctic, and even the Moon."

"When did Asia start to be located in the North Atlantic? I suggest assigning more geography homework to American students, which may solve NATO's problems in the long run."

Some netizens criticized, "The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is now a North Atlantic terrorist organization and should stay well in their own backyard."