Report on an Event Featuring H.E. Radmila Shekerinska, NATO Deputy Secretary General

On March 6, 2026, the Japan Institute of International Affairs co-hosted an event with NATO, the Embassy of Norway, and the Embassy of Romania, featuring the NATO Deputy Secretary General, H.E. Radmila Shekerinska. The Deputy Secretary General emphasized that, amid an increasingly severe and complex international security environment caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Iran’s destabilizing actions, and support for Russia by North Korea and China, cooperation between NATO and Japan is deepening. She also noted that allies are committed to significantly increasing defense spending—targeting 5% of GDP—to strengthen deterrence and defense production.
Furthermore, she stressed that cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners, including Japan, is not about NATO expansion, but rather about collaboration among democracies that share common values in areas such as cyber, space, supply chain security, innovation, and support for Ukraine, with Japan playing an important contributing role.
The panel discussion, moderated by Kenichiro Sasae, President of the Japan Institute of International Affairs, featured Nobumasa Akiyama, Director of Center for Disarmament and Science & Technology, and Tetsuo Kotani, Chief Research Fellow. The panel addressed Japan’s domestic politics and U.S. skepticism regarding NATO’s expanding engagement in the Indo-Pacific, discussing how far Japan can increase its defense spending and align with NATO’s initiatives. The discussion also covered responses to crises in the Middle East, countering coordinated actions by Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, and balancing long-term objectives such as arms control and risk reduction while strengthening deterrence, resilience, and defense industry cooperation. These topics prompted a lively exchange of views among participants.