Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday his country had no plans to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but acknowledged the security alliance's plans to open a liaison office in Japan, while China said the plan was not welcome.
PM Kishida's comments came after Japan's ambassador to the United States said earlier this month the US-led military pact planned an office in Tokyo, Asia's first, to facilitate consultations in the region.
"I am not aware of any decisions made in NATO regarding the establishment of the office," PM Kishida said in Wednesday's parliamentary session, adding his country had no plans to join NATO as a member state or semi-member.
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning called Japan's actions "unaccepted by the Asia-Pacific region", saying Tokyo should be "extra on caution in matters of military security" given the "historic aggression".
"We want to say that Asia-Pacific does not accept group confrontations, does not accept military confrontations," Mao said at a news conference on Wednesday.
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Japan hosted the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Hiroshima last weekend, in which leaders of these countries agreed to "reduce risks, not separate" economic engagement with China, reaffirming the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
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