EU and Japan Aim for Deeper Defense Cooperation in High-Tech Arena
TOKYO, JAPAN, JUL 23 – The alliance aims to bolster supply chain resilience and reduce dependency on dominant suppliers like China, focusing initially on critical raw materials and battery value chains, officials said.
- On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa established the Japan-EU Competitiveness Alliance, meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on July 23, 2025.
- Concerns over economic coercion and non-market practices emerged, as officials acknowledged the goal of reducing strategic dependencies on Beijing in the summit communiqu�.
- Under the expanded High-Level Economic Dialogue, both sides will monitor strategic supply chains and identify goods for cooperation, while launching a Japan-EU Defence Industry Dialogue and an economic two-plus-two with foreign and economy ministers alongside Maroš Šefčovič and Stéphane Séjourné.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, adding `We believe in global competitiveness and it should benefit everyone.`
- Amid deepening ties, negotiations are set to conclude, with the EU and Japan aiming to finalize this year their cooperation on the Horizon research funding programme.
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Antonio Costa reiterated that "Japan was the first country in the region to conclude a strategic and defence partnership with the EU" which is "determined" to encompass it.


Japan, EU agree to boost economic security, defense cooperation
The leaders of Japan and the European Union agreed Wednesday on new initiatives to strengthen cooperation in economic security, trade and defense, amid uncertainty over U.S. tariff policies and China's growing military and economic influence.
[Brussels - Tsuji Takashi] European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded to a written interview with the Nihon Keizai Shimbun in conjunction with her visit to Japan on the 22nd and 23rd. She revealed her intention to form a new "Competitive Alliance" with Japan and to aim for joint mining of rare earths, which are essential for electric vehicles (EVs) and electronic components. Ursula and EU President Costa will meet with Prime Mi…
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