Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Sudden NATO Summit Cancellation
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has unexpectedly cancelled his trip to the NATO summit in the Hague. His withdrawal follows doubts about meetings between NATO and the IP4 nations, including President Donald Trump. Instead, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will represent Japan at NATO-related events and bilateral talks.
In a surprising turn of events, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has cancelled his planned attendance at the NATO summit in the Hague later this week. The decision, disclosed by the Foreign Ministry on Monday, follows just three days after initially announcing the trip.
The cancellation is attributed to "various circumstances," according to the ministry. Among those reasons, Fuji Television cited the unlikelihood of a meeting between NATO and the IP4—a group encompassing Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand—and a potential meeting with U.S President Donald Trump was also cast into doubt.
Though Ishiba is skipping the summit, Japan will still be represented by its Foreign Minister, Takeshi Iwaya, who is set to travel to the Netherlands to attend NATO-related events and engage in bilateral discussions. This marks the first time in recent years that Japan's leader will miss the summit, having participated since being invited post-2022.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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