Nato appears to shelve plans to open Japan liaison office in Tokyo

Progress expected at Nato summit thanks to attendance of Japan's PM but no mention made in latest talks

Nato appears to have shelved plans to open a liaison office in Tokyo, a proposal that had been discussed as part of the western military alliance's plans to deepen cooperation with partners in the Asia-Pacific but which was strongly opposed by China.

The idea to open an office was first discussed after Nato's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, visited Japan earlier this year. It reportedly involved opening a civilian office in Tokyo in 2024, as a means of facilitating Nato's dialogues in the Asia-Pacific. It was expected progress would be made at the Nato summit thanks to the attendance of Fumio Kishida, Japan's prime minister, for the second year in a row.