Japanese PM Abe visits NATO to deepen ties

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Tuesday signed an agreement with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to enhance the ties with the alliance, during his visit to the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The Individual Partnership and Cooperation Program (IPCP), signed by Abe and Rasmussen, was aim to strengthen political dialogue and practical cooperation between the alliance and Japan, said the NATO.

"It will bring our practical cooperation to a new level including in the areas of counter piracy, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance," said the secretary general at the press conference after the meeting.

Tuesday's signing of the IPCP builds on a joint political declaration Abe and Rasmussen signed in Tokyo in April 2013.

"Our partnership is based up on shared values, a shared commitment to international peace and security and to the principles of the United Nations and international law," said Rasmussen.