Japan’s New Prime Minister Floats ASIAN NATO Idea

By Kevin Williams

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba raised the idea of an ‘Asian NATO’ to counter Chinese security challenges. Ishiba’s commentary with the Hudson Institute, a U.S. think tank, highlighted Japanese leadership’s increasing defense posture within East Asia. Ishiba stated, “The absence of a collective self-defense system like NATO in Asia means that wars are more likely to break out because there is no obligation for mutual defense.” Chatter of a multinational Asian security agreement has increased as tensions in the South China Sea simmer and the United States and Japan grow closer on security issues. 

The two countries signed the U.S.-Japan Mutual Security Treaty in 1951 allowing continued American troop and base presence in Japan. The defense treaty had been mostly one-sided until Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe pivoted the national policy to upgrade Japan’s defense capabilities. The Abe administration’s interpretation of the Japanese constitution allowed for a more proactive defense perspective to address regional security challenges. Abe’s efforts enabled greater integration between American and Japanese forces, including a shared command headquarters. Ishiba’s suggestion of an ‘Asian NATO’ further reiterates the need for Asia’s security, while expanding it beyond the U.S.-Japan alliance. The concept of an ‘Asian NATO’ has drawn criticism beyond China. Indonesia’s Jakarta Post warned against Ishiba’s rhetoric in its October 5th editorial “No to Asia’s NATO.” The article argues that ASEAN states need Japan as a trading partner rather than a defense ally. Further, the concern is expressed that an ‘Asian NATO’ would force ASEAN members to choose sides, which Japan admits would be the case. Prime Minister Ishiba said he had no intention of raising the ‘Asian NATO’ idea at the ASEAN meeting in Laos.