Japanese Prime Minister refuses to participate in NATO summit — mass media

Japanese media today reported on the refusal of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to participate in the NATO summit in The Hague. The reason was the US strike on Iran and the possible absence of US President Donald Trump.

In recent years, the Prime Minister of Japan has invariably participated in meetings of the leaders of the North Atlantic alliance. As expected, the foreign minister will go to The Hague instead, NHK reports.

Earlier, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung also refused to participate in the summit. His administration explained this with "a lot of state affairs after the inauguration," as well as "the volatile situation in the Middle East."