We, the Leaders of the European Union (EU) and Japan, held our 30th EU-Japan Summit in Tokyo, Japan on 23 July 2025 and concluded the following:
1. The EU-Japan Strategic Partnership has never been stronger than today, and it matters more than ever. The EU and Japan firmly share values and principles such as the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, democracy, human rights, and open, free and fair trade. We will further strengthen our partnership in all aspects, with the EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement and the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) as the legal foundations.
2. Our closer cooperation has become all the more important against the backdrop of an evolving and complex global geopolitical setting, notably Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the serious challenges to a free and open Indo-Pacific, as well as other regional and international issues.
3. We are committed to working with like-minded international partners to address these challenges, thereby upholding our strong commitment to effective, inclusive, equitable, and stable global governance, as well as multilateralism and international order based on the rule of law, with respect for international law, including the Charter of the United Nations (UN) at its core.
Security and Defence Cooperation
4. The security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific are interconnected. We appreciate respective efforts by the EU and Japan to strengthen defence capabilities, and concur on exploring further cooperation between the EU and Japan in the area of security and defence, notably through the Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue and the EU-Japan Security and Defence Dialogue.
5. The EU and Japan face many common challenges and are committed to work together to implement the EU-Japan Security and Defence Partnership, in areas such as cybersecurity, hybrid threats, including foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), maritime security, space security, disarmament, non-proliferation, and women, peace and security.
6. We recognise that strengthening the defence industry base is a common priority for the EU and Japan and look forward to launching the EU-Japan Defence Industry Dialogue, and to further cooperation in the defence industry field.
7. We recognise the importance of maritime security, including ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight and protecting critical undersea infrastructure, in accordance with international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
8. We welcome the start of formal negotiations on the EU-Japan Security of Information Agreement.
Contributing to a Rules-based International Economic Order, Deepening Our Economic Security and Resilience, and Enhancing Competitiveness
9. Based on the economic partnership cultivated over the past 50 years, the EU and Japan continue to contribute to maintaining and strengthening a stable and predictable rules-based free and fair economic order. We reaffirm the importance of EU-Japan cooperation to uphold the free and rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, as well as promotion of other multilateral cooperation efforts, in particular with the aim of ensuring a level playing field through our coordinated efforts.