VIENNA (Kyodo) — Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has expressed eagerness for the establishment of direct flights between his country and Japan, ahead of talks Friday in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
“Direct air transport will significantly contribute to the tourist exchange between the two countries,” Plenkovic said in a recent written interview with Kyodo News.
“My visit to Japan is primarily aimed at further developing economic relations and trade, as well as attracting a larger number of Japanese companies that want to expand their business to Croatia,” he said.
Plenkovic, who is also scheduled to attend Croatia’s “national day” event on Sunday at the World Exposition in Osaka, noted that approximately 53,000 Japanese tourists visited Croatia in 2024, a 46 percent increase from the previous year.
With Croatia bolstering its defense amid the altered security environment in Europe due to Russia’s war against Ukraine, Plenkovic said his government “is significantly increasing investments in the defense capabilities of the Croatian Army” to make them interoperable and compatible with those of its allies.
Such a move is “now more important than ever,” he added.
NATO, of which Croatia is a member, has been ramping up cooperation in recent years with Japan and other partners in the Indo-Pacific, under a shared view that security in that region and the Euro-Atlantic region is inseparable.
At a summit in June, NATO leaders agreed to increase their countries’ defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product.
Plenkovic also said Croatia, a member of the European Union, will resume mandatory military service from January 2026, introducing two months of basic military training for around 4,000 conscripts per year. The country suspended compulsory service in 2008.
Regarding Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, Plenkovic said that his government believes that country “has a place in the NATO family once all the conditions are met.”
Croatia PM pitches direct flights, woos investors ahead of Japan visit
