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

NATO has deepened its links with Japan and three other Indo-Pacific partners, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, though not as part of the military alliance. View on euronews

Japan has formally inaugurated an independent mission to the NATO military alliance as Tokyo and NATO seek to bolster cooperation amid escalating tensions from Russia, China and North Korea, Euronews reports.