Japanese PM Cancels NATO Summit Appearance Amid Diplomatic Setbacks

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will not be attending this week's NATO summit in the Hague, a decision stemming from the anticipated absence of critical meetings. According to sources with insider knowledge, both a NATO exchange with the Indo-Pacific group (IP4) and a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump seem unlikely.

South Korea and Australia, also part of the IP4 alongside Japan and New Zealand, have also announced that their leaders will not attend the summit meeting. It had been revealed that President Trump was keen on holding talks with the IP4 leaders, as per another source.

Representing Japan in Ishiba's stead is Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. Japan has traditionally had a presence at NATO summits since 2022 after being invited post-Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The recent schedule change disrupts Ishiba's planned reaffirmation of the interconnected security dynamics of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.

(With inputs from agencies.)