Meeting in Tokyo on Thursday 12 May for the 28th EU-Japan Summit, European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to announce the launch of a digital partnership, the first of its kind.
This will provide a framework for cooperation on digital issues. “We have broadly shared objectives with Japan on semiconductors, free flow of data, 5G and 6G, etc”, said an EU source ahead of the EU-Japan summit. This partnership will enable a move towards an alignment of policies between the two parties, but also increased economic exchanges.
The summit will also be an opportunity to revisit the green alliance launched between the two parties last year (see EUROPE 12728/13), again the first of its kind. The EU and Japan will work on a strategic plan on this issue, to be finalised by the end of July.
On the trade front, the EU would like to strengthen ties with Japan and tackle “untapped potential”, according to an EU source. This concerns in particular the access of agricultural products to the Japanese market (some agricultural products are still subject to tariffs despite the Economic Partnership Agreement) or access to public procurement.
The untapped potential also concerns other projects such as connectivity. The EU wants to start negotiations on an Air Services Agreement with Japan, which both partners would like to sign before the end of the year.
Another rapprochement could soon be agreed, this time on research: Japan has submitted a letter of intent to the EU with a view to being associated with the European research programme ‘Horizon Europe’. Leaders will have the opportunity to discuss this at the summit. According to a European source, Japan’s involvement in this programme would show how close the two sides are in this field.
On many other issues, the EU sees Japan as a close partner with shared values. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the G7 member country has imposed various sanctions on Russia. “The Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, has travelled to Europe and South East Asia with very important messages in support of the EU’s position. This commitment is very important to us”. The subject of war promises to be a major part of the discussion.
The leaders want to work together to prevent sanctions from being circumvented, to combat Russian and Chinese disinformation, and to isolate Russia on the international stage.
International cooperation more broadly will also be addressed, in a context where the EU wishes to strengthen its foothold in the Indo-Pacific region.
Alongside the summit, Charles Michel will travel to Hiroshima on 13 May to visit the National Peace Memorial for the victims of the atomic bomb. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)