Both the EU and Japan face threats of terrorism and organised crime and both are committed to upholding liberal norms and peace or stability at the global level. Yet since the beginning of the twenty-first century, specific problem perceptions and institutional path-dependencies of either partner have only led to a weak policy convergence at the diplomatic and multilateral level. The EU and Japan are undergoing dynamic changes with respect to these policy fields. In Japan this mainly concerns a controversial legislative framework on organised crime and terrorism and the country’s preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, the EU is in a period of intensifying cooperation on information-exchanges and border security in response to the threat from so-called Islamic State and the refugee crisis. Some of these developments could stimulate more cooperation between the EU and Japan but, overall, are accentuating limited overlap on security interests and understandings of privacy or civil liberties. So despite repeated common declarations, European and Japanese cooperation in the fight against terrorism and organised is likely to remain limited.