On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the country had no intention to join Nato but recognized the security alliance’s plan to set up a liaison office in Japan.

Kishida’s remarks came after the Japanese envoy to the United States earlier this month said that the US-led military pact was planning a Tokyo office, the first in Asia, to enable consultations in the region.

“I don’t know of any decision made” at Nato about the creation of the office, Kishida said at a Wednesday parliament session, adding his country was not planning to become a Nato member or semi-member state.