The NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, visits a maritime base in Japan, in Yokosuka, on April 8, 2025. (Credit: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP.)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deemed China's military expansion 'stunning' during a visit to Japan that began Tuesday and aims to 'project' the alliance's power in the Asia-Pacific region. 'Let's not be naive about China. The rise of its armed forces, its investments in the defense industry, and its defense capabilities are astonishing,' Mark Rutte said in an interview published by the Japan Times.
U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring other primarily European NATO members to increase their military spending. He also wants Asia-Pacific region allies to strengthen their own military capabilities to respond to China and contain North Korea. 'The United States increasingly wants NATO to be more involved (in the region). Not in the Article 5 sense, but in the sense of power projection, supporting each other within NATO,' Rutte stated.
NATO's Article 5 stipulates that if one member nation is attacked, the others will consider it an attack against all and will respond accordingly. Rutte was scheduled to visit the naval base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, on Tuesday and meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and senior Japanese officials on Wednesday.
In recent years, NATO has sought to strengthen its ties with Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, inviting their leaders to participate in the organization's summits. 'We need to go beyond joint statements... let's make it concrete,' said the Dutchman, who became NATO Secretary General in October. Japan has increased its military cooperation with European countries, and in November, Tokyo and the EU announced a new security and defense partnership.
