NATO and Japan are preparing to announce their new military partnership plan that will consist of 16 cooperation areas, including consultations on rules for autonomous weapons systems, at the NATO Summit next week, Japanese media reported on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th July, 2023) NATO and Japan are preparing to announce their new military partnership plan that will consist of 16 cooperation areas, including consultations on rules for autonomous weapons systems, at the NATO Summit next week, Japanese media reported on Thursday.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will participate in the NATO summit in Vilnius from July 11-12. At the summit, NATO and Japan will announce the pillars of the Individually Tailored Partnership Program (ITPP) for cooperation on standardization and enhancing interoperability between NATO forces and Japan's Self-Defense Forces, the Nikkei Asia newspaper reported.
As part of the ITPP, NATO and Japan are planning to start consultations on setting rules for autonomous weapons systems, also known as killer robots, the news outlet reported.
Other areas of cooperation will reportedly include maritime security, cyber threats, outer space, and climate change.
In May, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance was planning to open a liaison office in Tokyo, it's first in Asia. Aside from Japan, NATO is also considering South Korea and Australia as potential partners in the Indo-Pacific, Stoltenberg said.
Earlier in June, the Financial Times reported that French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his opposition to the idea of opening NATO's first representative office in Asia, as such a move would antagonize China. Russia also criticized the plan, saying it showed alliance's intention to gain a foothold in the Asia-Pacific region, leading to the militarization of the region and the strengthening of bloc confrontation.
