EU & Japan Form New Strategic Partnership for Economic & Security Cooperation
The European Union (EU) and Japan have joined forces to strengthen their economic cooperation and mutual security. The new strategic partnership, announced at the EU-Japan Summit in Tokyo, is set to reinforce the EU's economic alignment with Japan, following a separate US-Japan agreement on automobile tariffs.
The leaders have committed to upholding and strengthening a rules-based, free, and fair economic order. Central to this is the launch of a 'competitiveness alliance' that will bolster bilateral collaboration across trade, innovation, energy, economic security, and defence. This alliance expands focus to include resilience in critical supply chains, joint work on advanced technologies, and strategic coordination on external threats.
To facilitate this, joint working groups on trade resilience, technological cooperation, and industrial security are expected to be established in the coming months. Both sides aim to counter economic coercion and address unfair trade practices together. The partnership also includes a shift towards closer defence and security collaboration, with plans for a defence industry dialogue and an information security agreement. The EU seeks greater alignment with Japan as part of its broader agenda of pursuing 'open strategic autonomy' in trade partnerships.
The EU-Japan Alliance will be strengthened through the 'Subgroup on defence industrial and technological cooperation', which will work towards concluding a bilateral information security agreement. This new strategic partnership is expected to deepen economic cooperation and enhance mutual security between the EU and Japan.
