Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

The EU-Japan relations: Selected aspects

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the paper is to prove that in a world where instability is increasing and security is reduced, the EU and Japan are fulfilling their obligation to bear special responsibility for the implementation of the common western values they represent.

Research Design & Methods: The research method is based on the critical review of literature and the analysis of source materials (the texts of the Agreements and official documents). We run a policy analysis. We examine the law as a tool for policy implementation (New International Legal Process). We draw conclusions based on them.

Findings: The EU-Japan Agreements confirm the community of values on which they are embedded and create conditions for strengthening these values.

Contribution & Value Added: The contribution is here that we show the importance of Agreements between the EU and Japan, which stems from both endogenous factors, resulting from economic and political potentials of the Parties; as well as from the exogenous factors, in the form of external determinants of cooperation, such as recent turbulence in US politics.

PDF

Author Biography

Andżelika Kuźnar

Associate professor, Ph.D. in economics. Works at the Institute of International Economics at the Collegium of World Economy in Warsaw School of Economics. Her research interests focus on international economics. She conducts research on international trade, trade policy, economic integration, and multinational corporations. In 2018 the Polish Economic Society (PTE) awarded her with the Prof. Edward Lipiński Award for the book “Międzynarodowy handel produktami wiedzy” in recognition of bringing new value to the achievements of economics.

Jerzy Menkes

Professor, Ll.D. Head of the Department of International Law and International Organizations at the Collegium of World Economy in Warsaw School of Economics. Author of textbooks, monographs, studies and articles on international law, international institutional law, human rights, European institutional law and international economic law. President of the Polish Branch of International Law Association (ILA).


References

  1. Baker, P. (2017). Trump Says NATO Allies Don’t Pay Their Share. Is That True? The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/world/europe/nato-trump-spending.html on May 26, 2017.
  2. Berkofsky, A. (2017). The EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) – Responding to the Crisis of the liberal World Order. Asia Policy Brief. Bertelsmann Stiftung. Retrieved from: https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/en/publications/publication/did/the-eu-japan-strategic-partnership-agreement-spa-responding-to-the-crisis-of-the-liberal-world-o/ on December 18, 2017.
  3. Cordesman, A.H. (2017). President Trump’s New National Security Strategy. Center for Strategic & International Studies. Retrieved from: https://www.csis.org/analysis/president-trumps-newnational-security-strategy on December 18, 2017.
  4. Dasgupta, R. (2018). The demise of the nation state. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/apr/05/demise-of-the-nation-state-rana-dasgupta on April 5, 2018.
  5. De Gucht, K. (2018). Why we should open free trade negotiations with Japan. Retrieved from: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-12-562_en.htm?locale=en on February 19, 2018.
  6. Department of Defense (2018). Summary of the National Defense Strategy. Sharpening the American Military’s Competitive Edge. Retrieved from: https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf
  7. Dundorf J. (2018). US power not in decline across Asia-Pacific. AFP. Retrieved from https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/defence-notes/us-power-not-decline-across-asia-pacific-dunford/ on February 6, 2018.
  8. European Commission (2012). Negotiating EU trade agreements. Who does what and how reach a final deal. Retrieved from: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2012/june/tradoc_149616.pdf
  9. European Commission (2016). Trade for All – New EU Trade and Investment Strategy. Retrieved from: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/new-trade-strategy/index_en.htm on April 4, 2016.
  10. European Commission (2017). EU-Japan – The Agreement in Principle. Retrieved from: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2017/july/tradoc_155693.doc.pdf on April 18, 2017.
  11. European Commission (2018a). Annex to the Proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Japan. Retrieved from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52018PC0192#document2 on April 18, 2018.
  12. European Commission (2018b). Strategic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Japan, of the other part. Retrieved from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2018.216.01.0004.01.ENG on August 24, 2018.
  13. European Commission (2018c). The Economic Impact of the EU – Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). An analysis prepared by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade. Retrieved from: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2018/july/tradoc_157116.pdf
  14. European Commission (2018d). Meetings and documents. Retrieved from: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/eu-japan-economic-partnership-agreement/meetings-and-documents/on July 17, 2018.
  15. European Commission (2019a). EU-Japan trade agreement enters into force. Retrieved from: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-19-785_en.htm on January 31, 2019.
  16. European Commission (2019b). Top Trading Partners 2018 - Trade Statistics. Retrieved from: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_122530.pdf on March 18, 2019.
  17. Friedman, T.L. (2005). The World is Flat. A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
  18. Fukushima, G.S. (2016). The political economy of the Trans-Pacific Partnership: a US perspective. Japan Forum, 28(4), 549-564. doi: 10.1080/09555803.2016.1225113
  19. Gilson, J. (2016). The Strategic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Japan: the pitfalls of path dependency? Journal of European Integration, 38(7), 791-806. doi:10.1080/07036337.2016.1176027
  20. Gregory, J. (2018). Britain exploring membership of the TPP to boost trade after Brexit. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/03/britain-in-talks-tojoin-the-tpp-to-boost-trade-after-brexit on January 3, 2018.
  21. Hoang, H.H. & Sicurelli, D. (2017). The EU’s preferential trade agreements with Singapore and Vietnam. Market vs. normative imperatives. Contemporary Politics, 23(4), 369-387. doi:10.1080/13569775.2017.1289303
  22. Kagan, R. (2003). Of Paradise and Power. America and Europe in the New World Order. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  23. Kagan, R. (2004). America’s Crisis of Legitimacy. Foreign Affairs, 83(2), 65-87.
  24. Khanna, P. (2013, October 14). The End of the Nation-State. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/opinion/sunday/the-end-of-the-nation-state.html
  25. Kolmaš, M.& Kolmašova, Š. (2019). A ‘pivot’ that never existed: America’s Asian strategy under Obama and Trump. Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 32(1), 61-79. doi:10.1080/09557571.2018.1553936
  26. Lehmann, J-P. & Engammare, V. (2014). Beyond Economic Integration: European Lessons for Asia Pacific? Retrieved from: https://www.theglobalist.com/beyond-economic-integration-european-lessons-asia-pacific/ on February 3, 2014.
  27. Lieberthal, K. (2011). The American Pivot to Asia. Foreign Policy. Retrieved from: https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/12/21/the-american-pivot-to-asia/ on December 21, 2011.
  28. MOFA (2001). Agreement on Mutual Recognition Between Japan and The European Community. Retrieved from: https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/eu/agreement.pdf on April 4, 2001.
  29. MOFA (2019). The first Joint Committee of the Japan-EU Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA). Retrieved from: https://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press4e_002392.html on March 25, 2019.
  30. Richey, M., Han, S. & Kim, J. (2019). A pivotal shift: Europe’s strategic partnerships and rebalance to East Asia. Political Science. doi: 10.1080/00323187.2019.1640070.
  31. Sanger, D.E. & Haberman, M. (2016). Donald Trump sets conditions for defending NATO Allies against attack. New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/us/politics/donald-trump-issues.html on July 20, 2016.
  32. Singh, S. (2014). WTO Plus Commitments in RTAs. New Delhi: Centre for WTO Studies. Retrieved from: http://wtocentre.iift.ac.in/CBP/WTO%20Plus%20Commitments_Shailja.pdf
  33. The Economist (2018). What on earth is the CPTPP. Retrieved from: https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2018/03/economist-explains-8 on March 12, 2018.
  34. White House (2017a). Remarks by President Trump at APEC CEO Summit. Retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-apec-ceo-summit-da-nang-vietnam/ on November 10, 2017.
  35. White House (2017b). Remarks by President Trump on the Administration’s National Security Strategy. Retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-presidenttrump-administrations-national-security-strategy/ on December 18, 2017.
  36. White House (2017c). National Security Strategy of USA. Retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-2017-0905.pdf on December 18, 2017.
  37. World Bank (2019a). World Development Indicators. Retrieved from: https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/dataset/world-development-indicators on April 24, 2019.
  38. World Bank (2019b). Gross domestic product ranking table. Retrieved from: https://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP.pdf on February 7, 2019.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.