Japan and the European Union have much in common. They¡¯re two iconic symbols of U.S.-led reconstruction, pacification and democratization after World War II.
Their global rise in the subsequent decades came from out-manufacturing, not out-gunning, rivals. They¡¯ve both been nervously watching security threats mass on their border in the shapes of Russia and China. And now they¡¯re contemplating the risk of U.S. strategic abandonment after a lifetime of reliance on Washington¡¯s security umbrella.
That common pressure is prompting a renewed search for deeper strategic ties. In November, just a few days before Donald Trump¡¯s presidential election, Tokyo and Brussels concluded the EU-Japan Security and Defense Partnership, affirming their mutual commitment to a ¡°free and open international order based on the rule of law.¡± It laid out several areas of future cooperation, from maritime security and counterterrorism to space and defense expertise. It showed a lot of aspiration, yet not a lot of urgency.
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