ABSTRACT
Legislative changes on the security side as well as a new Development Cooperation Charter in Japan not only opens opportunities for broader cooperation with Japan’s main ally, the US —it also opens up for more cooperation with the EU and its member states on development and security issues. While the EU during the last decades has not had a coherent policy, with the Lisbon Treaty it now has a Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) since 2009. The EU has a leading role in peace-keeping operations. Drawing on both civilian and military assets, EU’s policy is a comprehensive one that seems to match well with what Japan is trying to achieve with its new “whole of government approach”. Both parties also put a strong emphasis on multilateral institutions, particularly on the UN, to promote peace and sustainable development on a global basis. Cooperation between EU and Japan in the nexus of security and development is already ongoing. The question is if the institutional changes that have taken place recently will lead to broader and deeper cooperation. This chapter traces policy development in both Japan and EU to see if recent changes create opportunities for more cooperation.
