ABSTRACT
How much has the EU–Japan political relationship evolved since 1991, and what have been some of the main factors impacting on this evolution? The Joint Declaration on Relations between the European Community and its Member States and Japan was adopted in The Hague on 18 July 1991. Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu, European Commission President Jacques Delors and European Council President Ruud Lubbers met there for the first summit meeting. The EU and Japan were keen to stress that they share a number of political values, such as a common attachment to freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human rights. This notion of shared values has regularly been referred to in subsequent summit Joint Press Statements and other such pronouncements. Among 10 or so of the EU’s strategic partners, Japan has been identified as a like-minded partner, along with the US and Canada.
