Facilitated by the entry into force of the Strategic Partnership in 2018, the bilateral security relations between the EU and Japan are gaining momentum. The increased cooperation in maritime security – for example, through the trilateral joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Aden naval between EU, Japan and Djibouti – is encouraging. The release of the EU Strategy for the Indo-Pacific will hopefully further stimulate such cooperation. However, the potential of cooperation in this area is much wider.
Broader security cooperation could also increase: How could a Framework Partnership Agreement further enable Japanese participation in EU CSDP missions? How could security attachés in the respective Embassy of Japan to the EU as well as the EU Delegation to Japan enhance the security cooperation? Is there the possibility for the EU and Japan to finetune their foreign and security policies and act in sync on issues of common interest, such as Afghanistan, Iran, freedom of navigation etc?
