Towards a substantial EU-Japan partnership

Abstract

The EU and Japan have spent decades normalizing trade links and attempting broader cooperation. In July 2017, political leaders agreed in principle to an economic partnership agreement (EPA) and to a strategic partnership agreement (SPA) hoping to enhance collaboration on economic, political, security and other issues, all buttressed by fundamental values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The agreements will likely be finalized and ratified this decade, so a more substantial partnership between the EU and Japan may unroll in economic and security fields as both sides adjust and converge their economic models and security paradigms. Yet, a comprehensive partnership based on shared values would take much more time to develop and galvanize the peoples of both sides.