On 1st November 2024, the 1st Japan-EU Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue took place where the Japan-EU Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) was being ratified which would come into force from 1st January 2025.[i] Further, during this strategic dialogue, the Japan-EU Security and Defence Partnership was also released.[ii] Further, this security and defence partnership between the two countries highlighted the importance of increased security partnership which would get fulfilled by engaging in new areas of maritime security, cybersecurity, and hybrid threats and were no longer limited to the traditional military and defence related domains.[iii] One has to understand that the roots of the Japan-EU Security and Defence Partnership can be traced back to the Joint Statement of the 29th Japan-EU Summit Meeting on 13th July 2023 where they focussed on amplifying their efforts for security cooperation as they aimed for an even closer strategic partnership which would focus on shared values, commitment towards multilateralism, deal with global challenges, and cater to the needs of their citizens.[iv]
Japan is an island nation and being a country dependent on trade and exchange from the sea routes, it developed and pioneered the ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ which they wanted to make into an economic engine and, worked on take the QUAD to greater heights. Globally too, the perspective on the Indo-Pacific has evolved and many countries have adopted it as a strategy, vision, outlook and initiative. The European Union also adopted the Joint Communication on the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific on 16th September 2021 where it highlighted its intention to engage in the region to build partnerships to focus sustainable economic recovery aiming to have a long-term prosperity as together, the Indo-Pacific and Europe hold 70 percent of the access to global trade in goods and services.[v] Since, both Japan and EU would like to strengthen their economic resilience, work to improve the international rules based system, and preserve an open economy in the Indo-Pacific. The Security and Defence partnership resonated that there could be a possibility for a Japan-EU Agreement on the Security of Information.
Apart from the economic interest, EU was interested in working towards an open and rules-based regional security architecture which would also cover the sea lanes of communication, interaction of naval presence, joint and multilateral exercises, port calls, and capacity building developments.[vi] Security and defence had become a major issue as EU as counter terrorism and cybersecurity was gaining ground again and there was a need to deal with these aspects as well. Furthermore, in 2022, EU adopted the ‘Strategic Compass for Security and Defence’ aimed to create a secure environment for its citizens, work to build a common forward-looking strategic culture and support the global rules-based order.[vii] Another major issue that European Union has been facing is the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis and China’s expansion. Further, Japan has also been worried about its neighbourhood security scenario due to military build ups and nuclear weapons which are unilaterally threatening the status quo by force.[viii] The National Security Strategy (NSS) of Japan 2022 highlighted that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has breached the foundation of the rules which shape the international order and situation.[ix] It also feels that there is a possibility of a similar situation which might even arise in the future of the Indo-Pacific so, there is a need to intensify security cooperation to build a multilayered network among its friends and like-minded partners like the EU.[x]
Another reason to develop the security and defence partnership between Japan and EU is that both are heavily dependent on the sea lanes and routes of communication in the Indian Ocean region. Japan identified the importance of the Indian Ocean in the Indo-Pacific and so, the importance of the Indian Ocean was highlighted in late Prime Minister Abe’s ‘Confluence of Two Seas’ speech and Japan’s ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’. EU had also identified the importance of the western Indian Ocean and so, in 2015, CRIMARIO was funded as a maritime capacity building initiative to work on information sharing activities, training and capacity building. Japan and EU have over the last few years have focused on building capacities in the domain of maritime like following and adhering to the UNCLOS, naval cooperation between EUNAVFOR and JSDF, joint exercises and port calls with more countries in the Indo-Pacific.
Space security is now seen as a strategic domain as there has been an increase in power competition and threats are intensified and countries now feel the need to protect its space assets, protect its interest, deal with hostility, work on their strategic posturing and significance. EU, in 2022 in it Strategic Compass highlighted the the first ‘EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence’ along with focusing EU Space Law, setting up of the Sharing and Analysis Centre, and launch preparatory work to make sure that space capabilities are developed for EU.[xi] Japan has been facing the issue of collision of space debris with satellites, other objects, and space technologies are constantly in need the situation to be evolved. Japan has taken space security seriously as in 2020, a Space Operations Squadron was put forward for a space domain mission unit. JSDF and JAXA work together in the domain of monitoring activities and in 2024, Japan joined the AsterX with 14 members who mostly belonged to the NATO.[xii] EU and Japan can work at policy formulations in space security and related areas.
Cyber security is another domain where EU and Japan have been facing issues and so, they have aimed for a Japan-EU Cyber Dialogue as there is a need to look at coordination to deal with malicious cyber activities and work on alignment of cyber capacities and capabilities
Future Possibilities
EU and Japan can work towards creating a network where countries from NATO and Japanese alliance partners like Australia and South Korea can work towards a greater expansion in the domain of Space security where they can adhere to UN treaties in the domain of space but also create their own space laws and eventually form a grouping on space security and other related matters. Within this grouping, members countries could contribute and create a research lab where space security related research and development would take place and, work on the need for safe and sustainable products in space. This space security grouping could also work on resilience mechanisms for space capabilities for the usage of civil and defence needs like space-based military equipment as space colonisation is rampant. This group can also create its very own supply chain of space products and services which would be in collaboration with all the space agencies and ministry of defence of all the member countries.
A similar group can be created in the domain of cyber security where case studies from all the members countries should be collected and made into a manual where instructions and step by step methods and policies would be given to deal with the situation in hand. Apart from, information sharing and simulation exercise are vital for cyber security capacity building and training methods.
About Indo-Pacific, there is a need to focus on the flora and fauna and take a deeper look at the fishing industry and how, indigenous methods are used to fish and protect from overfishing. Countries in EU and Japan should look to develop methods to prevent fishing in their waters and create a method to work on food security issues which should be intertwined with the economic supply chain.
Finally, at the school and the university levels, students should be taught more about different countries security and defence issues and teach them case studies which would help them understand the security environment.
[i] Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). 2024. “1st Japan-EU Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue”. November 1, 2024. https://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/pressite_000001_00701.html#:~:text=On%20November%201%20%2C%20commencing%20at,for%20working%20dinner)%20with%20H.E. (Accessed on 7 November 2024)
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). 2024. “The European Union-Japan Security and Defence Partnership”. November 1, 2024. https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/files/100747825.pdf (Accessed on 7 November 2024)
[iv] Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). 2023. “Joint Statement Japan-EU Summit 2023”. July 13, 2023. https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/100528227.pdf (Accessed on 7 November 2024)
[v] Please see European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_21_4709 (Accessed on 7 November 2024)
[vi] Ibid,
[vii] “A Strategic Compass for Security and Defence”. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/strategic-compass-security-and-defence-1_en (Accessed on 7 November 2024)
[viii] “National Security Strategy of Japan”. December, 2022
https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/siryou/221216anzenhoshou/nss-e.pdf (Accessed on 7 November 2024)
[ix] Ibid.
[x] Ibid.
[xi] EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence. https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-space/eu-space-strategy-security-and-defence_en (Accessed on 12 November 2024)
[xii]Protecting Space Security: A New Mission for Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, August 2, 2024.
https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/2024/08/protecting_space_security.html (Accessed on 12th November 2024)