North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Informal Talks between Foreign Minister IWAYA and NATO Secretary General Rutte
September 24, 2025
On September 24, commencing at 6:10 p.m. local time (on 25, 7:10 a.m. JST) for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held informal talks with H.E. Mr. Mark RUTTE, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), during his visit to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. The overview is as follows:
- Minister IWAYA expressed his welcome for the reunion since the NATO Summit in June, and stated that the visits by Secretary General Rutte in April and by Admiral Giuseppe Cavo DRAGONE, Chair of the NATO Military Committee this month are clear evidence of the remarkable progress in Japan-NATO relations in recent years. In response, Secretary General Rutte reiterated his gratitude for the hospitality extended during his visit in Japan and emphasized that cooperation between Japan and NATO, as well as between NATO and the Indo-Pacific Partners (IP4: Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea), is strategically important, and welcomed the progress of Japan-NATO cooperation in various fields.
- Both sides also reaffirmed a shared understanding among like-minded countries that the security of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is inseparable, and concurred to build upon concrete cooperation to further elevate relationships between Japan and NATO.