A delegation of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee visited Japan from on 24 and 25 July to discuss foreign policy cooperation with one of the EU’s closest allies in Asia.

During the visit to Tokyo, MEPs held productive discussions with their counterparts in the Japanese Diet and the Japanese government, including the State Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Cybersecurity. A meeting with leading think tank representatives on connectivity and EU-Japan foreign policy cooperation provided further insights into the direction in which EU-Japan cooperation can be strengthened and deepened.

Discussions had a strong focus on the security situation in the Indo-Pacific, the roles both Japan and the European Union can play to support a rules-based international order, and the strong support for Ukraine of both Japan and the EU.

Urmas Paet, Chair of the delegation, said: “The EU-Japan partnership is even more important in the currently turbulent times, when like-minded partners should stand as united as possible in defence of the international rules-based order.”

The AFET delegation was composed of eight Members: Urmas Paet, Chair of the Delegation, (Renew, ET), Reinhard Bütikofer (Greens/EFA, DE), Michael Gahler (EPP, DE), Tonino Picula (S&D, HR), Nathalie Loiseau (Renew, FR), Jakop G. Dalunde (Greens/EFA, SV), Susanna Ceccardi (ID, IT), Dominik Tarczyński (ECR, PO).