ISTANBUL

Japan launched its NATO mission in Brussels, according to a statement Thursday by the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

“Japan and NATO are partners sharing fundamental values and strategic interests. As it has become further evident that the security of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is inseparable, the Japan-NATO relationship has developed in a concrete manner in recent years,” it said.

The mission was launched Wednesday and will be used for cooperation between the two sides.

It will operate independent of Japan's diplomatic mission in Belgium.

Tokyo has, however, in the recent past said it does not want to build an “Asian NATO."

Notably, reports emerged last year that NATO was mulling opening its first office in Asia which could be located in Tokyo.