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By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, concerned about China's rising military spending and disputes with Beijing over islands in the East China Sea, signed a new partnership agreement with NATO on Tuesday. The accord, signed by Abe and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen during Abe's visit to NATO's Brussels headquarters, will deepen Japan's cooperation with the Western military alliance in areas such as counter-piracy, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. After addressing ambassadors from the 28 NATO nations, Abe drew a parallel between the situation in Ukraine, where Russia has occupied and annexed Crimea, and Asia, in an apparent allusion to a standoff between Beijing and Tokyo over tiny uninhabited islands in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.More...