Japanese leaders attribute Ukraine conflict to NATO membership issue

In recent debates among candidates for the leadership of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), several prominent figures have identified Ukraine's non-membership in NATO as a principal factor contributing to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Shigeru Ishiba, a former Japanese Defence Minister, and Yoshimasa Hayashi, a former Foreign Minister and current acting Cabinet Secretary General, both highlighted this issue during discussions in Tokyo, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Ishiba and Hayashi argued that Ukraine's absence from NATO was a crucial element in the conflict’s development.

Hayashi explained that the lack of NATO membership meant that the conflict did not trigger a collective defence response, as Ukraine was not covered by NATO’s mutual defence commitments. He elaborated that this absence likely contributed to the failure of deterrence measures. Ishiba concurred, emphasizing that if Ukraine had been a NATO member, the situation might have been different due to the alliance’s defence protocols.

In addition to these remarks, Yoko Kamikawa, Japan's current Foreign Minister and another candidate for the LDP chairmanship, expressed significant concern over the strengthening ties between Russia and North Korea. Kamikawa suggested that the growing security collaboration between these two nations presents a troubling scenario, especially in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. She also criticized North Korea's recent missile tests over the Sea of Japan, labelling them as a direct threat to regional security.