EU-Japan Summit 2025: Joint Statement Released
We, the Leaders of Japan and of the European Union (EU), held our 30th Japan-EU Summit in Tokyo, Japan on 23 July 2025 and concluded the following:
1. The EU-Japan Strategic Partnership has never been stronger than today, and it matters more than ever. The EU and Japan firmly share values and principles such as the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, democracy, human rights, and open, free and fair trade. We will further strengthen our partnership in all aspects, with the EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement and the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) as the legal foundations.
2. Our closer cooperation has become all the more important against the backdrop of an evolving and complex global geopolitical setting, notably Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the serious challenges to a free and open Indo-Pacific, as well as other regional and international issues.
3. We are committed to working with like-minded international partners to address these challenges, thereby upholding our strong commitment to effective, inclusive, equitable, and stable global governance, as well as multilateralism and international order based on the rule of law, with respect for international law, including the Charter of the United Nations (UN) at its core.
Security and Defence Cooperation
4. The security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific are interconnected. We appreciate respective efforts by the EU and Japan to strengthen defence capabilities, and concur on exploring further cooperation between the EU and Japan in the area of security and defence, notably through the Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue and the EU-Japan Security and Defence Dialogue.
5. The EU and Japan face many common challenges and are committed to work together to implement the EU-Japan Security and Defence Partnership, in areas such as cybersecurity, hybrid threats, including foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), maritime security, space security, disarmament, non-proliferation, and women, peace and security.
6. We recognise that strengthening the defence industry base is a common priority for the EU and Japan and look forward to launching the EU-Japan Defence Industry Dialogue, and to further cooperation in the defence industry field.
7. We recognise the importance of maritime security, including ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight and protecting critical undersea infrastructure, in accordance with international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
8. We welcome the start of formal negotiations on the EU-Japan Security of Information Agreement.
Contributing to a Rules-based International Economic Order, Deepening Our Economic Security and Resilience, and Enhancing Competitiveness
9. Based on the economic partnership cultivated over the past 50 years, the EU and Japan continue to contribute to maintaining and strengthening a stable and predictable rules-based free and fair economic order. We reaffirm the importance of EU-Japan cooperation to uphold the free and rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, as well as promotion of other multilateral cooperation efforts, in particular with the aim of ensuring a level playing field through our coordinated efforts.
10. We reaffirm the importance of jointly addressing the increasing common economic security risks to maintain resilient and sustainable economic growth and leading discussions in international fora such as the G7 and OECD.
11. We will enhance our cooperation on increasing supply chain resilience and reducing strategic dependencies, including strengthening and diversifying critical minerals supply chains, and address economic coercion and non-market policies and practices. We will enhance our cooperation to promote and protect critical and emerging technologies. Acknowledging the importance of various pathways toward net-zero, we also confirm our close cooperation in the field of energy.
12. In this context, we launch the EU-Japan Competitiveness Alliance to further enhance our joint competitiveness in a strategic manner and grow together through cooperation between the EU and Japan.
13. We recognise the importance of the full and effective implementation of the EU-Japan EPA in strengthening the resilience of our trade and investment relations and ensuring that our citizens and business community fully benefit from the opportunities the EPA creates. We welcome the discussion at the sixth EU-Japan High-Level Economic Dialogue held in Tokyo on 8 May 2025 and endorse the expansion of the EU-Japan High-Level Economic Dialogue to strengthen strategic economic cooperation between the EU and Japan, in particular in key areas such as economic security, trade and industrial policy, including the promotion of investment opportunities.
14. We will continue to promote enhanced cooperation based on the EU-Japan Green Alliance, the EU-Japan Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure, and the EU-Japan Digital Partnership.
Uphold Multilateralism with the United Nations at Its Core
15. It is essential to strengthen global commitment to the UN and respect of international law. The UN, the core of today’s multilateral order, celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2025. The EU and Japan will continue to uphold the UN Charter and the fundamental principles it enshrines. We remain strong, predictable and reliable partners of the UN, including in driving forward the UN80 initiative, to deliver on a more effective, cost-efficient, transparent and responsive UN.
16. We highly appreciate the continuous expansion of EU-Japan cooperation across various fields based on multilateralism, such as peace and security, trade, human rights and gender equality, disarmament and non-proliferation, space, climate and environment, humanitarian aid, development, fight against terrorism and transnational organised crime, cyber and artificial intelligence, research, education and culture, labour, and transportation.
17. We recognise that the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution is an existential threat, and stand firmly by the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and other relevant multilateral environmental instruments and frameworks. We will work with all partners to accelerate a global, just and inclusive green transition. We remain committed to contribute to a successful outcome of COP30, stressing that further mitigation ambition is needed globally in this critical decade and beyond.
Regional Issues
18. We restate our resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of international law, in particular the UN Charter.
19. We emphasise our commitment to ensuring a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine, which respects Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to providing continued political, financial, economic, humanitarian, security and defence and diplomatic support to Ukraine for as long as it takes. We join Ukraine and international partners in calling for a full, unconditional ceasefire and meaningful talks for genuine peace aimed at ending Russia’s war of aggression and restoring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the principles of the UN Charter.
20. We will continue to put pressure on Russia, including through sanctions and measures aimed at tackling circumvention. We confirm that, consistent with all applicable laws and our respective legal systems, Russian sovereign assets in our jurisdictions should remain immobilised until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. We are committed to ensuring full accountability for war crimes and other serious crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression, including through our support for the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. We also remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s repair, recovery and reconstruction, including through the Ukraine Donor Platform and the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome in July 2025.
21. We condemn support by third parties and actors and entities therein, which enable Russia to sustain its war of aggression against Ukraine, and urge all parties to immediately cease any such direct or indirect assistance to Russia, including aiding in the circumvention of sanctions and providing Russia with dual-use materials. In particular, we strongly condemn Russia’s increasing military cooperation with North Korea. We share the concern that any support from Russia to North Korea may exacerbate the already tense environment on the Korean Peninsula. We urge Russia and North Korea to immediately cease all such activities and abide by the UN Charter and all relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
22. We also reaffirm our continued support for the Republic of Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, enhancing the country’s resilience in dealing with the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and with any interference with Moldovan democracy by foreign entities and their proxies, in particular in the run-up to the Parliamentary elections.
23. The EU and Japan affirm the importance of upholding international law to promote peace and prosperity in the free and open Indo-Pacific. We reiterate our serious concern about the situations in the East China Sea as well as the South China Sea and continue to strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. We express serious concerns about the militarisation of the disputed features, coercion and intimidation in the South China Sea. We reaffirm the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight and of the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, in particular UNCLOS. We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as indispensable to security and prosperity in the international community. We reaffirm that our basic policies on Taiwan remain unchanged. We call for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. We reiterate our opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.
24. We strongly condemn the advancement of North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and reaffirm the commitment to the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in accordance with UNSC resolutions. We also call on all UN member states to fully implement all relevant UNSC resolutions. We express grave concern over and the need to address together North Korea’s malicious cyber activities including cryptocurrency thefts. We urge North Korea to allow access to humanitarian aid organisations, to respect human rights, and in particular to immediately resolve the abductions issue.
25. The EU and Japan are committed to advancing regional peace and stability in the Middle East. We reaffirm our commitment to achieving an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, in line with the principles of humanitarian action. We recall that all parties must ensure the protection of all civilians, including humanitarian workers, at all times. We underline the importance of pursuing a lasting and sustainable peace based on a two-state solution. We strongly condemn the further deterioration of the situation in the West Bank. We express our support for the people of Syria, as it works towards a peaceful, inclusive and stable political future. We also affirm our support for Lebanon’s efforts towards stabilisation, reconstruction and reform agenda.
26. We welcome the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Iran and urge all parties to abide by international law, show restraint, and refrain from taking action which could lead to a new escalation. We have always been clear that Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon and that it must comply with its legally binding nuclear safeguard obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) including its comprehensive Safeguards agreement. We call on Iran to resume full cooperation with the IAEA, the sole impartial international body responsible for verifying Iran’s compliance with its nuclear non-proliferation obligations and commitments. This will be key for a diplomatic settlement of the issue. Furthermore, we underscore the centrality of the NPT as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and consider that it is essential that Iran remains party to and fully implements its obligations under the Treaty. We will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to bring about a lasting, comprehensive and verifiable diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, which can only be achieved through negotiations. We also express our concerns about the military cooperation between Russia and Iran.
27. The EU and Japan note with grave concern the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in Afghanistan. We underscore the Taliban’s responsibility to ensure full compliance with all of Afghanistan’s international legal obligations, particularly in respect of human rights and to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorism.
Conclusion
28. We welcome the successful organisation of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
29. We acknowledge the substantive progress achieved in our bilateral relations and reaffirm our commitment to further strengthening our strategic partnership.
EU-Japan Summit 2025
Attachment I to the Joint Statement
DELIVERABLES AND PRIORITIES
Together, the EU and Japan:
I. Security and Defence Cooperation
– will strengthen and deepen bilateral cooperation and dialogue on security and defence in the following areas based on the EU-Japan Security and Defence Partnership.
a) Defence Industry
– recognise that strengthening the defence industry base is a common priority for the EU and Japan, and look forward to launching the EU-Japan Defence Industry Dialogue, hosted by both defence industries, and to further cooperation in the defence industry field, including in the context of the Security and Defence Partnership implementation.
b) Cybersecurity
– decide to enhance the exchange of views on situational awareness of cyber-related threats and coordinating on joint diplomatic responses, as well as to cooperate on advancing cyber capacity building with third countries.
– welcome expert cooperation on standard development activities for the Cyber Resilience Act and Japan’s Internet of Things labelling scheme JC-STAR to facilitate product security in EU and Japanese markets, and recognise the importance of Internet of Things products’ cybersecurity taking into account both the technical and non-technical nature of cyber threats, as also discussed in G7 fora.
– will promote the UN framework of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, and the establishment of a UN Cyber Programme of Action as the future permanent UN mechanism.
– will identify pilot project opportunities for cooperation in the framework of the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity-Building Centre.
– will explore cooperation to enhance cybersecurity skills in the Indo-Pacific Region, including through the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Week.
c) Maritime Security
– commit to promoting concrete naval cooperation, including through the Administrative Arrangement between the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta (EUNAVFOR Atalanta) and the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF).
– pledge to conduct joint training on counter-piracy in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia, and to explore further joint exercises including with third countries.
– welcome capacity building cooperation in the field of maritime security within the framework of ‘Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia and the Indo-Pacific’ (ESIWA+) and will explore further opportunities for joint action throughout the Indo-Pacific, notably by developing synergies with relevant EU-funded projects.
d) Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI)
– will launch the EU-Japan dialogue on FIMI to share information on threat assessment, methodologies and responses regarding FIMI, and explore opportunities for further coordination and operational cooperation.
e) Space Security
– will coordinate in multilateral (including at the United Nations) and bilateral fora to jointly promote norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviour in outer space.
– will continue to coordinate and cooperate in the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space in all its aspects.
f) Disarmament and Non-proliferation
– will deepen their cooperation on disarmament, non-proliferation, conventional arms, including small arms and light weapons, and responsible use of AI, in various regional and international forums.
– reaffirm the importance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as the cornerstone of the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
– will promote cooperation in the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and other key multilateral instruments, as well as export control regimes.
– underscore the importance of the 80-year record of non-use of nuclear weapons and of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation education.
g) Security of Information Agreement (SIA)
– welcome the start of formal negotiations on the EU-Japan Security of Information Agreement.
h) Climate, peace and security
– commit to promoting recognition of the impacts of climate change on international peace and security.
– will deepen cooperation on recognising and responding to climate security threats.
i) Women, Peace and Security
– will exchange best practices on implementing Women, Peace, and Security commitments, and underline their commitment to upholding UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
– will explore Women, Peace, and Security cooperation activities.
j) Sanctions
– concur on intensifying the bilateral cooperation on sanctions and the fight against their circumvention.
II. Economy
a) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
– highlight the importance of the full and effective implementation of the EPA between the EU and Japan as strong promoters of the rules-based free and fair international economic order.
– welcome its steady implementation to strengthen the resilience of our trade and investment relations and ensure that our citizens and business community fully benefit from the opportunities the EPA creates.
– welcome the entry into force of the Protocol amending the EU-Japan EPA to include provisions on the free flow of data, recognising it as a further step in advancing Data Free Flow with Trust.
– welcome our continued good cooperation on Geographical Indications (GIs), and in particular the current efforts to add new EU and Japanese GIs to the list of protected GIs.
– commit to fully respect and implement the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) commitments of the EPA without undue delay, and ensure speedy and simplified import procedures for both sides, avoiding duplicative assessments of elements harmonised at EU level.
– will expedite the conclusion of the project on the mutual recognition of zoning decisions and ensure its smooth implementation, in particular for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), by the end of 2025, and continue discussions on the recognition of zoning decisions for swine diseases (African swine fever and Classical swine fever) within the Mutual Recognition Project, with a view to its conclusion without undue delay.
– take note that concerning plant products, in line with the earlier commitment, we have made progress on a grouping pilot project on apples. We will finalise the pending export applications for fruits based on scientific evidence without undue delays and will continue close cooperation on the pilot project on apples.
– will continue cooperation on offshore wind energy with the view to facilitating the roll-out of projects supporting the climate and development goals with particular regard to facilitating their construction and maintenance.
– will ensure the effective implementation of the government procurement provisions in the EPA.
– will confirm the dates for applying the relevant UN Regulations in the Appendix 2-C-2 of the EPA.
b) WTO
– seek to maintain and strengthen the free and rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.
– continue to work towards a necessary reform of the WTO, which improves governance, as well as all the Organization’s functions, including negotiation, monitoring, deliberation and dispute settlement, so that it can effectively respond to current trade-related challenges.
– continue to work closely to urge WTO members to support the prompt incorporation of the Agreement on Electronic Commerce and Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement into the WTO legal framework, as well as to encourage wider participation in the Agreement and its implementation.
– continue to coordinate their efforts to ensure a level playing field.
c) Economic Security
– will work on a wide range of economic security challenges, building on the efforts under the relevant dialogues and frameworks such as the EU-Japan High-Level Economic Dialogue including its expanded format, the EU-Japan Digital Partnership, and the G7, including through cooperation on supply chain resilience, addressing economic coercion and non-market policies and practices and overcapacity resulting from them. We will reinforce cooperation on the promotion and protection of critical and emerging technologies.
– will accelerate joint efforts to build transparent, resilient, and sustainable supply chains for strategic goods, including through specifying strategic goods and sectors, for joint work towards developing criteria that take into account the G7 Principles on Resilient and Reliable Supply Chains of transparency, diversification, security, sustainability, and trustworthiness and reliability on a sector-by-sector basis.
– will further engage with emerging markets and developing countries in the effort to enhance economic security and resilience, while assuring sustainable and stable growth.
– share the recognition that dominance of critical minerals and materials and low-carbon energy manufacturing supply chains by specific countries poses economic security risks to the EU and Japan, and express our concerns over export control measures, particularly on critical minerals and derivative products, such as permanent magnets, that could lead to significant global supply chain disruptions.
d) Investment, Business and Industrial Cooperation
– will enhance our economic cooperation including through the expanded High-Level Economic Dialogue on matters related to supply chain resilience and competitiveness, such as identifying strategic goods and sectors, including in safe and sustainable low-carbon energy manufacturing, as well as critical raw materials.
– will promote competitiveness by deepening industrial policy cooperation, including in the aforementioned sectors, as well as facilitating investment and business collaborations, notably through the EU-Japan Industrial Policy Dialogue.
– will promote business cooperation including through the EU-Japan Business Round Table (BRT).
– will continue to engage with the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation.
– will deepen exchanges on better regulation and simplification in view of streamlining rules and reducing the administrative burdens for European and Japanese businesses and citizens, while upholding high standards and achieving economic, social, and environmental goals.
e) Competition
– will strengthen the dialogue on competition policy to ensure fair competition responsive to evolving markets and innovation.
III. Digital
– welcome the Joint Statement as well as the deliverables announced at the EU-Japan Digital Partnership Council of 12 May 2025.
– will work towards protecting and promoting effective multilateralism, anchored in international law and standards, including the UN Global Digital Compact to advance a digital transformation globally.
– will continue cooperation on innovation and critical and frontier technologies, and expand their cooperation under the Digital Partnership towards interoperability of digital solutions and compatibility of policies, in areas such as data governance, AI and online platforms.
– continue their cooperation to advance the Hiroshima AI Process and work together to encourage more companies to join this initiative globally.
– will continue cooperation on data governance to strengthen Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT), including through data spaces and more resilient and reliable supply chains.
– look forward to swiftly concluding the ongoing talks to expand progressively the scope of the EU adequacy decision for Japan to academia and research as well as to the public sector, which will contribute to the promotion of DFFT.
– will continue implementing the Memorandum of Cooperation on Digital Identities and Trust Services to contribute to the implementation of DFFT. This could include paving the way for the interoperability and mutual recognition on academic credentials through a pilot project.
– committed to build on the successful bilateral collaboration to enhance coordination in multilateral fora such as to advance DFFT including through the Institutional Arrangement for Partnership at the OECD.
– welcome the signing of the Letter of Intent on Strengthening Cooperation in the Area of Quantum Science and Technology.
– share a growing concern regarding recent incidents of undersea cable damages, and explore cooperation in addressing the issue.
– will establish a Joint Working Group to discuss policy issues for increased security and resilience of submarine cables and enhanced global connectivity, including the Arctic connectivity, taking into account the commercial viability of the submarine cable projects. The outcome of the Joint Working Group will be reviewed at the 2026 EU-Japan Digital Partnership Council. The results will be reported to the next EU-Japan Summit.
– will cooperate to promote fair and contestable digital markets by holding regular exchanges regarding the EU’s Digital Markets Act and Japan’s Act on Promotion of Competition for Specified Smartphone Software. They welcome the signing of the Cooperation Arrangement between the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, the Directorate-General for Competition, and the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC).
– will extend cooperation on semiconductors based on the existing Memorandum of Cooperation, including research and innovation as well as economic security.
IV. Climate Change, Biodiversity, Energy and Environment
a) Cooperation under the EU-Japan Green Alliance
– reaffirm the importance of the Japan-EU Green Alliance and will pursue the decarbonisation of their economies by 2050.
– welcome the policy developments and cooperation implemented on climate, energy and environment policies under the EU-Japan Green Alliance, including under the EU funded “EU-Japan Green Alliance Facility”.
– look forward to the next Green Alliance inter-departmental meeting as soon as possible, and concur on enhancing cooperation further under all topics covered by the Green Alliance, including by holding other ad hoc inter-departmental meetings.
b) Toward the COP30
– reaffirm their commitment to a successful COP30 to uphold the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement with a view to keeping the 1.5⁰ C temperature goal within reach, and emphasise the importance of addressing the ambition and implementation gap.
– welcome the New Collective Quantified Goal for climate finance (NCQG) and the decision on the matters relating to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement at the twenty-ninth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29).
– call on all countries with the capacity to do so to contribute to the NCQG and recognise the importance of mobilising and aligning all financial flows toward achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.
– stress that further mitigation ambition and implementation is needed globally in this critical decade and beyond in order to keep the 1.5⁰ C goal within reach.
– reaffirm that the 5-year ambition cycle of the Paris Agreement is essential for achieving global emission reductions in line with the best available science and the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement, and remain committed to implementing our current and new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), as well as reporting our progress through the Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) thereafter.
– in order to keep the 1.5⁰ C goal within reach, call for further concrete action by all countries, especially major emitters, in line with the outcome of the first Global Stocktake, also recalling that 2025 is the year in which Parties to the Paris Agreement are obliged to submit their NDCs.
– will follow up on the first Global Stocktake including through events under the Global Energy Transitions Forum.
– will seek to promote at COP30 carbon pricing as an effective policy mechanism by further accelerating and financing decarbonisation, stimulating innovation, and supporting the competitiveness of our economies.
c) Energy
– recognise the importance of decarbonising the energy sector on the path to climate neutrality and reaffirm the objective of tripling renewable energy capacity globally, and doubling the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030, and transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems taking into account their different national circumstances, pathways and approaches, so as to achieve net zero by 2050, as adopted at the Global Stocktake at COP28 in Dubai.
– recognise the ongoing importance of energy security and affordability, support the role of natural gas and LNG and investments in improving the reliability and resilience of the supply chains and security of supply, and welcome the cooperation through the LNG Global Early Warning Mechanism and the ongoing discussions to initiate an intergovernmental gas dialogue between the EU and Japan.
– support the implementation of “Methane Abatement Partnership Roadmap” and “LNG importers’ initiative alliance for methane mitigation from the LNG value chain”, and continue to collaborate on pursuing to ensure compatibility of the CLEAN initiative supported by the EU Methane Regulation and Japan.
– welcome the work of the EU-Japan Clean Energy Industrial Policy Coordination Working Group on resilient and reliable supply chains and safe and sustainable low carbon technologies, focusing on factors other than prices in the development and deployment of safe and sustainable low carbon energy technologies, and will continue strengthening cooperation in this area.
– will continue joint efforts towards the international standardization of performance evaluation and related aspects of next-generation solar cells, specifically perovskite solar cells, at the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
– reaffirm the importance of hydrogen for decarbonisation and recognise the need to promote demand creation and build resilient and reliable supply chains for renewable and safe and sustainable low-carbon hydrogen and its derivatives.
– will continue the existing industrial collaboration in nuclear energy projects, while reaffirming their commitment to the international legal framework for nuclear safety and radiation protection governed by the IAEA.
– will explore new joint programs to support projects by leveraging policy measures, such as the EU’s Net-Zero Industry Act and Japan’s Green Transformation (GX) initiatives.
– will discuss policy measures and financial support for R&D and technological innovation and recognise that such ideas on governmental collaboration can be discussed in the existing Working Group.
– recall their collaboration in fusion energy initiatives, such as the ITER project, the Broader Approach (BA) activities, and the IFMIF-DONES project.
– concur on exploring cooperation in Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage. Sharing information and best practices could help achieve the EU and Japan’s respective ambition for Carbon Capture and Storage.
d) Decarbonisation
– will continue cooperation on carbon pricing, in light of the introduction of a mandatory ETS in Japan and discussion on carbon leakage measures, including carbon border adjustment measures.
– concur on cooperating, including in plurilateral and multilateral settings such as the Climate Club, the OECD Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches (IFCMA) and the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) to enhance transparency for measuring embedded emissions; to create lead markets for near zero and low carbon materials and decarbonisation technologies; and to accelerate the deployment of near zero and low carbon steel and cement in particular.
– explore the enhancement of decarbonised industrial cooperation and sustainable supply chains, under the scope to be determined of the Working Group on Clean Technology of the EU-Japan Industrial Policy Dialogue.
– concur on establishing an experts’ dialogue on transition finance, including tools such as bonds to increase finance mobilisation.
– welcome the outcome on the Net-Zero Framework achieved at the International Maritime Organization and commit to cooperating towards its adoption at the Special Session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee in October and its implementation in 2027.
e) Circular Economy and Bioeconomy
– will continue and strengthen exchanges of views and cooperation in each field of circular economy, and sustainable bioeconomy between relevant authorities, including at ministerial or other high-level dialogues.
– will operationalise a Working Group on Circular Economy as a pivotal element of cooperation on circular economy within the framework of the Green Alliance.
f) Biodiversity
– will work together towards the effective implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the achievement of the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
– will cooperate to promote conservation and sustainable management of wildlife.
g) Sustainable Forest Management
– will continue to participate in relevant multilateral dialogues and work with key partners and international organizations to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030 and promote a global shift to sustainable forest management and sustainable agricultural production, and transparent and sustainable supply chains, recognising the importance of demand and supply side measures to achieve these goals.
h) BBNJ Agreement
– commit to working jointly to promote the early entry into force of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), and underscore the importance of the work of the Preparatory Commission to prepare for the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
i) Plastic Pollution
– reiterate their commitment to conclude negotiations on an ambitious and effective international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastics, during the fifth resumed session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) in August 2025, in Geneva.
– commit to actively supporting its adoption. V. New European Bauhaus (NEB)
– welcome our growing collaboration on the New European Bauhaus (NEB), which has already fostered vibrant engagement at the Expo Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Together, we aim to turn environmental policy into visible local action. We will initiate a dialogue towards the launch of a NEB Academy Hub in Japan, and a country-specific NEB Prize for Japanese projects.
VI. Multilateralism at the UN as Its Core
a) UN Reform
– will work on advancing the UN reforms including the UN Security Council reform to guide the international community, where division and confrontation are intensifying, towards effective multilateralism and enhanced cooperation.
b) Disaster Risk Reduction
– reiterate their commitment to achieve the objectives of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and to enhance cooperation on disaster risk reduction, preparedness and response.
c) Humanitarian Aid
– will continue to strengthen EU-Japan cooperation on humanitarian aid, including on respect for international humanitarian law, and call for building resilience in partner countries and broadening the resource base for humanitarian actions beyond traditional donors.
d) Financing for development
– reaffirm our commitment to effectively implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, welcome the renewed global framework for financing for development adopted at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, and look forward to the implementation of the “Compromiso de Sevilla”.
VII. Promoting Sustainable Connectivity
– reaffirm their joint commitment to promoting trusted, secure, sustainable and rules-based connectivity that will bring lasting benefits and create sustainable and inclusive growth in partner countries.
– will continue to make tangible investment offers under the EU’s Global Gateway and the EU-Japan Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure.
– confirm that a sizeable number of projects illustrate existing EU-Japan complementarity between their respective cooperation on sustainable connectivity and quality infrastructure with their partners, and that synergies will be sought on more such connectivity projects in the future with partner countries in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
VIII. Research
– will accelerate the negotiation on the association agreement to the Horizon Europe Programme in good faith and with the common aim to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in science and technology.
– welcome the start and progress of the enhanced dialogue on advanced materials, and the forthcoming signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on information sharing regarding hydrogen safety between the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the High-Pressure Gas Safety Institute of Japan (KHK).
IX. Space
– reaffirm that space is a source of competitiveness and essential for ensuring security.
– aim to accelerate the development of satellite constellations that could lead to the strengthening of EU-Japan cooperation on space utilisation.
– aim for closer cooperation on utilising Earth Observation data based on the Technical Operating Arrangement endorsed on 3 June 2025, under the Administrative Arrangement on Copernicus, including potential collaboration between Copernicus programmes and GOSAT satellite constellations.
– will promote leading activities in the private sector, such as space debris mitigation and remediation, and data acquisition for space situational awareness, while contributing to rule-making, in order to ensure autonomous space activities in response to the alarming increase in satellites and debris.
– take positive note of a study of advanced cooperation missions between civil space agencies in science, low-earth orbit activities, exploration and earth observation.
– continue to collaborate through the EU-Japan Space Policy Dialogue, and public-private dialogues, including in the context of development of EU system IRIS² and Japanese systems.
X. Education and Culture
– aim to strengthen people-to-people ties between the EU and Japan, including in higher education, and welcome the promotion of inter-university exchanges between Europe and Japan and the continuous support for student mobility, including for inter-university exchange projects and scholarships through Erasmus+ and MEXT scholarship.
– decide that Japan will host the EU-Japan Policy Dialogue by 2027.
– recognise the potential of cultural and creative sectors to foster innovation, sustainable growth and mutual understanding, and reaffirm their shared commitment to cultural diplomacy and intercultural dialogue, and a shared interest in a successful outcome of the MONDIALCULT 2025 conference in Barcelona.
– welcome the establishment of the Erasmus+ National Focal Point. – stress the importance of promoting mutual-understandings and friendship between Europe and Japan, this year marks the 10th anniversary since the launch of Mutual-understanding, Intellectual Relations, and Academic Exchange Initiative (MIRAI).
XI. Transport
– commit to holding the 19th EU-Japan Transport High-Level Dialogue in Tokyo.
– welcome the 18th EU-Japan Transport High-Level Dialogue in Brussels focusing on sustainable and innovative aviation, maritime and land transport, cooperation in international transport fora, gender mainstreaming in the transport sector, and support for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.
– look forward to continuing technical and policy cooperation to enhance the safety and sustainability of aviation under the EU-Japan Aviation Partnership Project.
XII. Employment and Social Welfare
– reiterate their commitment to internationally recognised fundamental principles and rights at work, as reflected in the 20th EU-Japan labour symposium of July 2025.
XIII. Fisheries and Oceans
– will cooperate on the prompt entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and the conclusion of negotiations on the additional provisions on fisheries subsidies.
– reconfirm their commitment under Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to adopt, as a matter of urgency, proposals to designate Marine Protected Areas in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Western Antarctic Peninsula, based on the best available scientific evidence.
– will cooperate in the fight against IUU fishing and in promoting fishery sustainability and ocean governance in the context of Regional Fishery Management Organisations (RFMOs).
XIV. Judicial Cooperation
– will explore closer cooperation between Eurojust, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Japanese authorities in the field of criminal justice.
EU-Japan Summit 2025
Attachment II to the Joint Statement
EU-JAPAN COMPETITIVENESS ALLIANCE
The EU and Japan are Strategic Partners that share fundamental values and interests, including the need to sustain economic growth while simultaneously pursuing competitiveness, decarbonisation, economic security and resilience. Recognising our common challenges, the EU and Japan hereby launch a “EU-Japan Competitiveness Alliance.” Acknowledging the commitment to not only maintaining but further strengthening a stable and predictable rules-based free and fair economic order, as well as to reinforcing a competitive business environment, we will further enhance our joint competitiveness in a strategic manner and grow together through this Alliance, and jointly lead international discussions. In this Alliance, we recognise the existing bilateral agreements and arrangements for our cooperation, keeping in mind our intention to avoid duplicating these structures and instead build upon them. The EU and Japan will deepen their cooperation in the following areas:
Trade and Economic Security
1. Both sides will expand the coordination of their respective trade policies and tools bilaterally as well as at multilateral and plurilateral fora. The full and effective implementation of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement will remain the cornerstone of the bilateral trade relations. The EU and Japan will cooperate at steering the trade-related workstreams in the WTO and G7.
2. Both sides will continue to strengthen collaboration on trade, industrial policy and economic security in the expanded High-Level Economic Dialogue which will include the Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy of the European Commission. Our collaboration includes addressing threats to the resilience of supply chains, strategic dependencies, economic coercion, non-market policies and practices, as well as overcapacity resulting from them, promotion and protection of critical and emerging technology, research security, the physical and cyber security of critical infrastructure, and export control particularly concerning critical minerals, including the rare earth elements, that pose economic security risks to the EU and Japan.
Supply Chain Resilience
3. Both sides will accelerate joint efforts to monitor and strengthen supply chains in strategic sectors and identify strategic goods and sectors for further cooperation under the expanded High-Level Economic Dialogue.
4. Both sides will accelerate cooperation on development and implementation of standards and criteria for products that take into account the G7 Principles on Resilient and Reliable Supply Chains of transparency, diversification, security, sustainability, trustworthiness and reliability on a sector-by-sector basis (including in net-zero manufacturing sectors value chains) with the aim to stimulate demand and supply for products aligned with these Principles. Both sides will cooperate to advance the initiative in international fora such as the G7.
5. Both sides will deepen cooperation on the resilience, including diversification of supply chains in specific sectors, including through the expanded High-Level Economic Dialogue and the Industrial Policy Dialogue, in close cooperation with business, with an initial focus on critical raw materials and batteries. Such collaboration could extend to other sectors in the future.
6. Both sides will work towards promoting investment opportunities to reinforce strategic complementarities in mutually decided sectors.
Regulatory Cooperation
7. Both sides will deepen exchanges on better regulation and simplification in view of streamlining rules and reducing the administrative burdens for European and Japanese businesses and citizens, while upholding high standards and achieving economic, social, and environmental goals.
Cooperation with the Business Sector
8. Acknowledging the contribution of businesses in supporting the implementation of the initiatives under this Alliance, both sides expect the EU-Japan Business Roundtable (BRT), in close cooperation with its members, such as the European Business Council (EBC) and the Japan Business Council in Europe (JBCE) to take leading roles in consolidating and conveying practical perspectives from industry.
9. The strengthened EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation will support the implementation of the initiatives under the Competitiveness Alliance.
Competition
10. Both sides will strengthen dialogues on competition policy to ensure fair competition responsive to evolving markets and innovation.
Decarbonisation and Circular Economy
11. Both sides affirm that their collaboration on the circular economy and decarbonisation will be pursued within the established framework of the Green Alliance with the aim of enhancing competitiveness.
12. Both sides will explore the enhancement of decarbonised industrial cooperation and sustainable supply chains, under the scope to be determined of the Working Group on Clean Technology of the EU-Japan Industrial Policy Dialogue.
13. Both sides will strengthen exchanges of views and strategies on circular economy policies, especially through working toward a common understanding on regulatory approaches, definitions and systems, while increasing circularity at domestic and international levels, seeking to enhance international trade in waste and secondary materials and in goods and services resulting from circular economy activities, and facilitating data flows, reverse logistics and business.
14. Both sides will aim to strengthen pragmatic cooperation on a circular economy, in collaboration with the private sector, to strengthening resource efficiency and competitiveness of industries of both the EU and Japan by co-creating new value through exchanging good policy practices, promoting circular product design, circular business models, high quality recycling and new business collaborations between the EU and Japan.
Energy
15. Both sides recognise the ongoing importance of energy security and affordability, support the role of natural gas and LNG and investments in improving the reliability and resilience of the supply chains and security of supply, and welcome the cooperation through the LNG Global Early Warning Mechanism and the ongoing discussions to initiate an intergovernmental gas dialogue between the EU and Japan.
16. Both sides support the implementation of “Methane Abatement Partnership Roadmap” and “LNG importers’ initiative alliance for methane mitigation from the LNG value chain”, and continue to collaborate on pursuing to ensure compatibility of the CLEAN initiative supported by the EU Methane Regulation and Japan.
17. Both sides welcome the work of the EU-Japan Clean Energy Industrial Policy Coordination Working Group on resilient and reliable supply chains and safe and sustainable low carbon technologies, focusing on factors other than prices in the development and deployment of safe and sustainable low carbon energy technologies, and will continue strengthening cooperation in this area.
18. Both sides will continue joint efforts towards the international standardisation of performance evaluation and related aspects of next-generation solar cells, specifically perovskite solar cells, at the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
19. Both sides reaffirm the importance of hydrogen for decarbonisation and recognise the need to promote demand creation and build resilient and reliable supply chains for renewable and low-carbon hydrogen and its derivatives.
20. Both sides will continue the existing industrial collaboration in nuclear energy projects, while reaffirming their commitment to the international legal framework for nuclear safety and radiation protection governed by the IAEA.
21. Both sides will explore new joint programs to support projects by leveraging policy measures, such as the EU’s Net-Zero Industry Act and Japan’s Green Transformation (GX) initiatives.
22. Both will discuss policy measures and financial support for R&D and technological innovation and recognise that such ideas on governmental collaboration can be discussed in the existing Working Group.
23. Both sides will expand their cooperation in strengthening energy security and safe and sustainable low carbon energy supply for EU Member States and Japan.
Bioeconomy
24. Both sides will share information related to bioeconomy policies and strategies, promote industrial policy exchanges on how to accelerate the uptake of bio-based materials and products, and facilitate matching between biotechnology startup companies, venture capital firms, and end-product suppliers.
Defence Industry
25. Both sides encourage the industrial societies of both sides to launch the EU-Japan Defence Industry Dialogue (DID), which will serve as a platform to promote collaboration on defence industry including advanced and dual-use technologies between the EU and Japan.
Space
26. Both sides aim to accelerate the development of satellite constellations that could lead to the strengthening of EU-Japan cooperation on space utilisation.
27. Both sides aim for closer cooperation on utilising Earth Observation data based on the Technical Operating Arrangement endorsed on 3 June 2025, under the Administrative Arrangement on Copernicus, including potential collaboration between Copernicus programmes and GOSAT satellite constellations.
28. Both sides will promote leading activities in the private sector, such as space debris mitigation and remediation, and data acquisition for space situational awareness, while contributing to rule-making, in order to ensure autonomous space activities in response to the alarming increase in satellites and debris.
Research and Innovation
29. Both sides will promote cooperation between the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan; on business expansion for startup and scaleup between the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)/NEDO; and on the formation of international joint research consortia among companies and research institutions with support by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and JETRO/NEDO and continue to discuss the update and possibility of further cooperation in this area bilaterally.
Digital
30. Both sides will further reinforce research and innovation, economic security, as well as regulatory cooperation under the EU-Japan Digital Partnership on the topics of semiconductors, 5G/6G, quantum, AI, cybersecurity, online platforms, digital identities, data governance and enhanced global connectivity, including the Arctic connectivity taking into account the commercial viability of the submarine cable projects.
The progress of this Alliance will be reported to the leaders.
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https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_25_1890