The 28th EU-Japan Summit in Tokyo saw the two sides further strengthening ties in a range of areas including trade and investments, digital tech, sustainability, climate action, biodiversity protection, and - in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine - security issues.
Handshake between Fumio Kishida, on the left, and Ursula von der Leyen, right. Credit: Dati Bendo / European Union
Handshake between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Credit: Dati Bendo / European Union
Since the signing of the EU-Japan Strategic Cooperation agreement in 2019, the two sides have been edging ever closer, with the news from the most recent being the latest move in that direction. Brussels and Tokyo are viewing each other more and more as like-minded allies, especially in the context of Russian militarism and Chinese economic expansion.
Read more: EU-Japan trade agreement comes into force
"The EU and Japan have so much in common," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
"As well as a certain vision of the world. We both promote a multilateral global system, based on rules designed to protect and benefit all. And it is precisely because this vision is so often challenged today, that the EU is looking to strengthen its relationships with like-minded partners, such as Japan."
The summit built on the 2019 agreement and was further expanded on last year.
The biggest news was the signing of a Digital Partnership, the first that the EU has signed with a partner country. The partnership is intended to be a forum designed to give political steer and impetus for joint work on digital technologies.
The areas that the two are keen to focus on in particular include secure 5G as well as "Beyond 5G"/6G technologies, safe and ethical applications of artificial intelligence, and supply chain resilience in the semiconductor industry.
The Digital Partnership aims to encourage innovation and growth in businesses, drive forward fully digitalised public services and facilitate digital trade. It also looks to promote cooperation on secure international connectivity, green data infrastructures and digital regulation, as well as digital education.
The two also agreed to begin exploratory talks on the possibility of Japan joining the Horizon Europe programme as an associated country and to step up further the implementation of the EU-Japan Green Alliance that was first signed last year.
Horizon Europe is an EU programme that offers association status to countries outside its geographic vicinity that "share common values and demonstrate a good capacity in science, technology and innovation". An association status is the closest form of international cooperation for research and innovation between the EU and third countries.
Read more: Britain in talks to enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership
Similar exploratory talks with Canada and New Zealand have recently been closed and talks with South Korea are currently in progress.
The two also finalised the negotiations on a Horizontal Aviation Agreement, similar to that signed with South Korea in 2020, which would standardise airport security operations and open up the aviation market, allowing non-national flag carrier airlines to fly between EU Member States and Japan.
The EU and Japan also agreed on further steps to "take full advantage of the potential of the Economic Partnership Agreement" to support post-pandemic economic recovery.
According to the EU, its Global Gateway strategy aims to create new opportunities for cooperation and investments in secure and sustainable infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region and elsewhere, notably on concrete projects.
The leaders discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the world, as well as geopolitical developments in the Indo-Pacific region. In a statement, the two said that their "common response to the war in Ukraine demonstrates the shared determination in defending the rules-based international order and effective multilateralism."
Read more: Wine, cars & red tape: Japan & EU expand terms of economic partnership
“Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not just a matter for Europe, but it shakes the core of the international order including Asia. This must not be tolerated,” said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose government has joined tough sanctions on Moscow, including on energy.
Japan and Russia have not formally ended World War II hostilities because of their dispute over the Kuril Islands, which lie just off of Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido and were seized by the Soviet Union when the war ended. In 2020, Russia amended its constitution preventing it from handing over any territory to a foreign power.
Joint press conference with Charles Michel, President of the European Council; Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan; and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
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