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Political relations

The EU and Japan are part of a circle of advanced, industrialised democracies. They share a range of values, interests and close international and multilateral cooperation, including in organisations such as the UN, the WTO, the G7 and the G20. The EU established a Strategic Partnership with Japan in 2001. EU-Japan dialogue and meetings take place at all levels, from leaders to expert meetings.
Leaders’ summits have a long history and are the most important events in the calendar of mutual political contacts. They take place annually, alternatively in Brussels and Tokyo, at the level of Heads of State/Heads of Government. Last 29. The EU-Japan summit took place on 13 July 2 023 in Brussels. The summit reviews the most relevant EU-Japan relations. An important element of each meeting is the preparation and publication of the Joint Press Statement adopted at the Summit, which is a political declaration. EU and Japanese leaders also meet in the margins of other important international fora, such as the G7, G20, UN, ASEM, and international conferences.
Meetings between the Commissioners of the EC Directorate and Japanese ministries and government agencies are also an important and permanent feature of the EU-Japan Dialogue. Ministerial meetings do not normally have a fixed timetable and often take place on an ad hoc basis, in the margins of events of international importance. They are designed to prepare Leaders’ Summits, whereas in view of the community of values they often present a high degree of alignment of views and policies on key international issues. Political dialogues, based on EU Council working groups, usually take place once a year, with sectoral dialogues taking place in different frequencies and formats.
A strong inter-parliamentary cooperation between the European Parliament and the Japanese Parliament is an important pillar of EU-Japanese relations. Following the elections in the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Group on Cooperation with Japan is usually formed, while in the Japanese Parliament it is the Japanese-EU Parliamentary League of Friendship. Interparliamentary meetings aim to strengthen contacts and exchange views on topical issues in bilateral and international relations. This is a valuable direct forum for the exchange of views of parliamentarians on the development of EU-Japan relations and the current political and economic situation in the EU and Japan, as well as other aspects of bilateral relations such as human rights.
The EU and Japan cooperate on the basis of two main agreements signed in 2018
The Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) is the first ever bilateral framework agreement between the EU and Japan. It is a legally binding agreement covering not only political dialogue and policy cooperation, but also cooperation on regional and global challenges, including environment and climate change, development and disaster relief policies, and security policies.
The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is an ambitious, comprehensive economic cooperation agreement between the EU and Japan. It is one of the EU’s largest and most important bilateral trade agreements. It facilitates and reduces trade costs for EU and Japanese producers by increasing bilateral trade and investment volumes. It also eliminates a number of non-tariff barriers. It entered into force on 1 February 2019.
The EU-Japan strategic partnership is based on long-standing cooperation, shared interests and values, respect for human rights and democracy, multilateralism, as well as open, free and fair trade and the green transition. It is a strong and dynamic relationship that responds to a wide range of global challenges, increasing mutual prosperity and security. Japan is the EU’s closest strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region and a key ally in the implementation of the EU strategy in the region. The EU and Japan support the people of Ukraine in the context of the Russian aggression, showing solidarity and assistance to Ukraine. Both the EU and Japan are committed to tackling climate change and promoting sustainable development.
The Lisbon Treaty of 2009 brought about the establishment of an EU own diplomatic service, which led to an intensification of political dialogue and a first regular consultation on security policy issues. The EU Delegation in Tokyo is an EU diplomatic post in Japan.
Delegation of the EU to Japan

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