Tokyo, 22 September, /AJMEDIA/
Japan and the European Union plan to establish director general-level dialogue on security and defense issues, a diplomatic source said Saturday, aiming to further strengthen collaboration amid China’s growing military assertiveness.
The envisaged framework is part of a draft security and defense partnership agreement between Japan and the EU, which is currently under negotiation and aims to be finalized by the end of the year, according to the source.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel might mention progress in the negotiations at their planned meeting later this month in the United States, the source said.
Promoting joint drills between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the European Union Naval Force, beefing up maritime security cooperation and facilitating information exchanges regarding the defense sector are also likely to be described in the draft document.
Having launched its first Indo-Pacific strategy in 2021, the EU, whose members include countries with overseas territories in the Pacific and Indian Ocean, has been deepening its involvement in the region, where Beijing has been strengthening its military capabilities.
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since 2022 in mind, Japan and the EU agreed at their summit in Brussels in July 2023 to further strengthen their partnership, recognizing that the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific region is “closely interlinked.”
Kishida, scheduled to resign as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Sept. 30, is on a three-day trip to the United States through Monday. Japan’s next prime minister is expected to be elected by parliament on Oct. 1.