Tokyo (with the editorial staff in Paris).
This office is not justified and could fuel Chinese resentment, it is argued on the French side. A NATO liaison office in Tokyo? For the France, it's no. For months, Japan has been pushing this idea, revealed the local press in early May. On the occasion of the G7 meetings it hosts, its authorities hoped to convince their peers (all NATO members) of its opportunity.
But he met with French opposition. Questioned point-blank by a Japanese journalist on Monday at a press briefing, the ambassador, Philippe Setton, replied: "This subject has not been the subject of any decision within NATO. It has been the subject of a proposal, which the allies are debating. (...) In terms of substance, what matters is the strengthening of cooperation between Japan and NATO within the framework of a document currently being finalised, rather than whether or not NATO will open an office in Tokyo."
See alsoChina warns against "NATO-like" alliances in Asia-Pacific
The question will be decided at the next summit...
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