Newly appointed Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Wednesday described the “Asian NATO” concept proposed by his boss, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, as one worth exploring.

The idea of ​​an Asian version of NATO is “certainly one idea for the future,” the 67-year-old Iwaya said, but “one that should be carefully considered over the medium to long term.”

“I think it is quite difficult to immediately establish a framework in Asia that would impose mutual defense obligations,” he said in his first news conference as Ishiba’s foreign minister, emphasizing nevertheless that the concept is not directed at any specific country.