Japan Prime Minister Ishiba to skip NATO summit, source says

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 cancelling 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.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will not attend the NATO summit, citing uncertainties caused by the Middle East situation, his office said earlier.

Australia, which along with the U.S., Japan and South Korea make up the IP-4, have also said its 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 is not public.

(Reuters)