Japan and Europe: How can relations be revived?

As Japan readies itself to contribute more proactively to regional and global security across areas of common concern in Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa and amidst the on-going preparation of the world’s largest free trade agreement between the European Union and Japan, it is clear that Europe and Japan stand to benefit immensely from a closer relationship with each other.

Despite this reality, Europe does not seem to invest enough human resources in understanding Japan. The image of Japan should remain central to European policy-making about Asia. Democracy, values, market economy, commitments to global public commons, have the same echo in Europe and Japan, even with the occasional differing interpretations or interests. For several reasons – size, rebirth of a pro-active Japanese diplomacy, stakeholding in the European economy and in third countries – Japan tops this list of Asian partners. In order to unleash the potential of cooperation between Japan and Europe it is essential to address the misperceptions currently held between the two regions.

In order to do this ECFR and the Japanese Foreign Ministry have initiated a project that will assess Japan’s contemporary image across Europe and result in concrete policy recommendations to improve Europe’s knowledge of Japan.

A series of features:

+ The new Japan paradox
The paradox about Japan is no longer that of an economic giant and a political dwarf; it is about the lack of significant international cooperation between Europe and Japan.

+ European views on Japan
As part of the ECFR analysis of the contemporary European attitudes to Japan, read summaries of each of the research from eight EU member states

+ AUDIO: Opening Trade between Japan and Europe
Keynote speech by Pascal Lamy, former Director General of the World Trade Organisation, on the Free Trade Agreement negotiations between Japan and the EU.

+ VIDEO: How can relations be revived?
Former Federal President of Germany, Christian Wulff, was keynote speaker at the EU-Japan conference held on 2-3 December 2015. He explained that Japan-EU relations have been neglected in the past few decades - from both sides. Wulff feels that making the Japanese feel more at home in Europe would be a first step forward to revive cooperation.

+ VIDEO: Why Japan and Europe need to work more closely together - the Japanese perspective
Keynote speech by Yukio Okamoto, former Special Advisor to the Japanese Prime Minister.

+ VIDEO: Why Japan and Europe need to work more closely together - the European perspective
Keynote speech by Joschka Fischer, former Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister of Germany.

• Primary Source

EU: EEAS: EU relations with Japan http://eeas.europa.eu/japan/

ECFR: Europe and Japan http://www.ecfr.eu/asia/europe_and_japan

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