In the wake of the Japanese elections and on the eve of the EU-Japan summit in Tokyo, a Japanese official explained to Agence Europe on Tuesday 22 July that even if the domestic political situation were to change drastically, the importance of EU-Japan relations would not be called into question.
“Regardless of the parties involved, there is a consensus on the importance of cooperation in Japan and the EU”, he explained.
Japan’s ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and its ally, the Komei, is in a fragile state after losing its absolute majority in the upper house in the senatorial elections held on 20 July.
According to a European source, this event will have no implications for the holding of the EU-Japan summit, particularly as Mr Ishiba is retaining his post as Prime Minister, having cited the urgent need to tackle US tariffs and rising prices in the country.
These are two subjects that will feature in conversations between leaders at the bilateral summit, against a backdrop of broader discussions on the creation of an “Alliance for Competitiveness” between the EU and Japan, notably to “strengthen the stability of multilateral global economic systems” (see EUROPE 13684/11).
According to another Japanese official, the two allies are also expected to share common concerns about trade relations with China and the need to “minimise risks”, just before European leaders fly to Beijing for the EU-China summit the following day, 24 July (see EUROPE 13684/10). (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)