By bno - Taipei Bureau Japan has formally launched an independent diplomatic mission to NATO, reflecting its growing collaboration with the alliance as tensions rise with Russia, China, and North Korea.

NATO has deepened its links with Japan and three other Indo-Pacific partners, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, though not as part of the military alliance. View on euronews

North Korea, fighting alongside Russia against Ukraine in its first major conflict since the Korean War, on Monday adopted its ally’s tone in lambasting warming Japanese ties to NATO.

Japan has formally inaugurated an independent mission to the NATO military alliance as Tokyo and NATO seek to bolster cooperation amid escalating tensions from Russia, China and North Korea, Euronews reports.