Tokyo (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The European Union and Japan will collaborate more closely on countering economic coercion and fighting unfair trading practices, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
Von der Leyen made her comments following an EU-Japan summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during which they discussed the EU’s struggles, recently putting the finishing touches on the trade deal with the United States, and the difficult meetings just a day ahead with leaders in China.
How will the EU and Japan counter coercion?
The summit involved increasing cooperation between the EU and Japan on aspects of security, trade, and economic resilience while both sides of the summit were navigating ongoing, unresolved trade frictions with the United States.
Prior to the summit, von der Leyen, alongside European Council President Antonio Costa, visited the World Expo 2025 at Osaka to highlight innovation and partnership and proceeded to Tokyo to take part in the high-level talks.
The summit culminated with upgrading EU-Japan relations to a “Japan-EU Competitiveness Alliance” as the EU-Japan relationship improves with future cooperation on issues like rare-earth mining, developing resilient supply chains, and a rules-based international order.
Von der Leyen stated that the EU and Japan aim to enhance economic security together.
“We will also work more closely together to counter economic coercion and to address unfair trade practices,”
She said, adding later:
“We believe in global competitiveness and it should benefit everyone.”
What did the Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba express?
Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan, stated that the European Union and Japan will work together to foster and sustain a rules-based, free and fair economic order, as well as announcing that the EU and Japan agreed to be collaborators in the promotion of the defence industry and to commence discussions around an information security agreement.
“In the field of security, we agreed to cooperate to launch a defense industry dialogue to strengthen the defense industrial base, which is a priority for both sides, and to begin official negotiations on a Japan-EU information security agreement,”
Ishiba stated.
When did von der Leyen last visit Japan?
Ursula von der Leyen had last traveled to Japan on May 12, 2022, upon her arrival for the EU-Japan summit, where she met with Japan’s then Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, and they discussed strengthening the strategic partnership with Japan and the European Union on trade, climate change, digital transformation, security cooperation, etc.
