Press Releases
Third round of the Japan-NATO Joint Study Group on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (overview)
1. On January 21, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ministry of Defense (MOD) held the third round of the Japan-NATO Joint Study Group on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief with NATO at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels.
2. The joint study group was launched in order to study the possibility of Japan-NATO cooperation in the field of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief based on the Joint Political Declaration signed and announced in April 2013 by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
3. Taking into consideration the outcome of the first and second round of the study group, Japan and NATO discussed during the third round how to advance practical cooperation in the field of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
4. The Japanese delegation was headed by Mr. Norio Maruyama, Deputy Director General of European Affairs Bureau, MOFA. The NATO delegation was headed by Ambassador Francesca Tardioli, Deputy Assistant Secretary General Operations Division.
* NATO was established by 12 members in 1949 to defend allied nations. The organization has now 28 allies in North America and Europe. Additionally, NATO has partnerships with 41 countries. Japan is one of the Partners across the globe together with Afghanistan, Australia, Iraq, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Republic of Korea. NATO is promoting dialogue and cooperation with all these partners.