ABSTRACT
The EU and Japan have over recent years intensified ad-hoc cooperation in various fields of international politics and security. Indeed, the track record of the EU and Japan initiating and adopting joint policies on both a regional and global scale is promising, and includes various joint missions, conflict mediation and peace-building initiatives in Africa and Asia. However, EU–Japan non-combat military-to-military cooperation (in Asia particular) has yet to reach its full potential and the EU–Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) currently negotiated by the EU and Japan is aimed at further intensifying and institutionalising European–Japanese security cooperation on the ground.
