EU-Japan Security Cooperation: Challenges and Opportunities

Ten security dimensions we considered:

• military security
• regional security
• nuclear non-proliferation
• counter-terrorism and organised crime
• climate change and energy security
• human security
• civil protection
• cyber security
• economic security
• migration/immigration security

These dimensions combined traditional and non-traditional security aspects.

Our method was derived from theories, concepts and methods from international relations, including realism, liberalism and constructivism, exploring reasons for security cooperation between states or international institutions and ways to assess levels of threat perceptions and degrees of cooperation. It also drew on insights from EU external relations analysis.

Methodological characteristics we adopted

Dimensions

The selection of manageable and meaningful dimensions of the EU-Japan security dialogue (e.g. terrorism, arms proliferation, human security), gave the research a distinct focus. Hence, rather than dealing with the general notion of EU-Japan security relations, a range of ten specific security dimensions was applied, which gave scope for the assessment of similarities or differences (success or failings) among these dimensions.

Common framework

The project adopted a common framework in the empirical investigation of the ten security sectors, and subsequent chapters, consisting of the following elements:

• levels of threat perceptions by the EU and Japan
• domestic response to threats by the EU and Japan
• degree of EU-Japan bilateral cooperation
• degree of EU-Japan multilateral cooperation

This framework was applied in a previous book - Emil J. Kirchner, Han Dorussen and Thomas Christiansen (Eds) Security Relations between China and the European Union, Cambridge University Press, 2016.

Scales

The project established assessment scales in order provide a systematic account of the levels or degrees converging or diverging positions of the EU and Japan on threat perceptions and joint cooperation with regard to the ten security dimensions.

Pairing

The project involved the pairing of European and Japanese scholars.

• See the list of contributors (.pdf)

The basis for investigating and assessing the respective ten security dimensions was relevant official documents of the EU and the Government of Japan and other relevant documents and secondary sources.

Our first workshop on Comparing Threat Perceptions and Responses between the EU and Japan was hosted and co-funded by the Japanese-German Centre Berlin.

Workshop report: comparing threat perceptions and responses between the EU and Japan. (.pdf)

Our second workshop was held at Kobe University in Japan. Discussions centred on how the EU and Japan relate to the nuclear threat by North Korea, the assertive maritime posture of China in the South China Sea, the rise of international terrorism, the threat of cyber-attacks and cyber warfare, the fall-out from Paris accord on climate change, natural disasters and pandemics, and the America First policy of President Trump.

Workshop report: EU-Japan security cooperation - challenges and opportunities. (.pdf)

Our final conference was hosted by the Royal Institute of International Affairs of Belgium and held in Brussels, in March. Findings of the research project were presented which came shortly after the agreement of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement and EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement. The conference was addressed on these topics by the Japanese Ambassador to the EU and by the EU’s External Action Service Desk Officer for Japan.

Conference report: EU-Japan Security Cooperation: trends and prospects. (.pdf)

The first book launch was held on 15 November 2018 at the European Institute for Asian Studies in Brussels. A short report can be found below. A second book launch was held in Berlin at the first conference of the EAST (EU-Asia Security and Trade) project, and more are planned.

Website report EUJA book launch. (.pdf)