Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to skip NATO summit, source says

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Published: 23 Jun. 2025, 16:38

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba holds a press conference after the Group of 7 Leaders' Summit, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on June 17. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is planning to cancel his attendance at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit in The Hague, a source with direct knowledge said on Monday.

Broadcaster Fuji Television said Ishiba was canceling the trip because a planned meeting between NATO and a group of four Indo-Pacific nations (IP-4) would likely not take place, and because a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump was also unlikely.

Korea and Australia, which along with the U.S. and Japan make up the IP-4, have also said their leaders would not attend the NATO summit meeting.

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will represent Japan, the source said, declining to be identified because the plan has not been made public.

Reuters