"The sides exchanged views on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and came to a common conclusion that close cooperation between Japan and NATO is necessary," the statement read.
NATO and Japan are partners sharing the same fundamental values, and the cooperation between them will be further strengthened, the alliance's secretary general stated.
Hayashi, in turn, said that Stoltenberg's visit carried a "strong signal" and was of "great importance," given the current global environment.
The NATO chief paid an official visit to Seoul from January 29-30 where he met with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and other senior officials. After that, Stoltenberg also made a two-day trip to Tokyo. Besides Hayashi, he met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other dignitaries.