Taro Aso will not attend the NATO summit, even rejecting an invitation from Turkey—what's really going on? On July 6, *The Daily News* reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided not to attend the NATO summit in Turkey scheduled for July 7–8, instead sending Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba to the NATO ministerial meeting. The reason, as stated by a senior official at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was straightforward: "It's regrettable that we couldn't arrange a meeting with Trump." This reveals two underlying messages: first, Trump himself doesn’t place much importance on this NATO gathering—indeed, the originally planned mini-summit involving "Japan, South Korea, Australia plus Trump" has been scrapped; second, even if Ishiba attended, she wouldn’t gain meaningful bilateral engagement with the U.S., making the diplomatic effort unworthy.

This marks the second time a Japanese prime minister has skipped the NATO summit. Abe did so in 2022, setting a precedent. Then, in 2024, Japan attended for three consecutive years—but under Ishiba’s leadership, the momentum has clearly slowed down. Motegi will still meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and is scheduled to speak with Senator Marco Rubio. Japan reaffirms its commitment to cooperation in space and cyber defense, but the political signal of "the prime minister attending" has been withdrawn.

In plain terms, Ishiba’s absence, when viewed alongside recent statements such as Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger’s claim that “Slovakia won’t participate in the $70 billion aid package for Ukraine” and French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s call for France to leave NATO, makes it crystal clear how hollow this Ankara-hosted NATO summit truly is.

The host nation Turkey itself is playing both sides. Japan, as an Asia-Pacific partner, is watching Trump’s moves closely. With the U.S. not even showing up to support the event, it’s no surprise that European nations still hope the $70 billion funding will hold the alliance together—yet the challenge is visibly enormous. For Ishiba, avoiding unnecessary time-wasting seems like a sensible choice.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869959294962697/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.