NATO chief urges closer ties with Japan to defend democracy

By MARI YAMAGUCHI and HARUKA NUGA
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has sharply criticized China for “bullying its neighbors and threatening Taiwan” and stressed the need for Japan and other democracies to work together with the alliance to defend the international order. Calling it a “critical moment for NATO and for Japan,” Stoltenberg, who is visiting Tokyo, said China and Russia are “leading an authoritarian pushback against international rules-based order.” He said trans-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security are deeply interconnected, and a victory by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine would send a message that authoritarian regimes can achieve their goals through brute force. While in South Korea on Monday, Stoltenberg called for Seoul to provide direct military support to Ukraine.