EU-Japan Relations in a New Era of International Cooperation: Values-based Cooperation in the Field of Security and Defence

The resurgence of more predominant power politics has led to calls for enhanced autonomy in the security and defence field, as well as a stronger military stance in the international arena. Conversely, the shift in power dynamics has also stressed the importance of consolidating international cooperation and protecting universal values, namely, democracy, the rule of law and human rights. Thus, employing a values-based foreign policy approach to establish cooperation with ‘like-minded’ partners still appears to be fundamental. The EU-Japan relations are an example of this. In effect, the European Union has widened its cooperative network beyond its traditional regional reach, focusing more on the Indo-Pacific region, and deepening cooperation with ‘natural allies’ in that region, such as Japan. Yet, while this EU-Japan partnership is supposedly values-based, its focus has shifted to strengthening security and defence ties, gradually overshadowing its normative commitments to upholding universal values. This raises the question of how values and interests coexist and shape international cooperation within a more security-focused global order.