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Shared values are a fundamental ingredient for fruitful cooperation. Japan as a stable and prosperous democracy in Asia with substantial engagement in the fields of human security and development has much in common with EU foreign policy interests. However, in past years EU-Japan cooperation has been eclipsed by the EU’s special relationship with China.

When in May 2011 the decision was taken during the EU-Japan summit to work together towards a deep and comprehensive free trade/economic partnership agreement, new impulses were given towards the identification of mutual interests and enhanced cooperation. At the same time, negotiations started on a binding agreement covering security, political, global and other sectoral cooperation.

To give input to this process the European Japan Advanced Research Network (EJARN) and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), together with several Japanese partners jointly initiated a project to accompany the process of the partnership agreement and to provide ideas for enhanced EU-Japan cooperation on the nexus of security and development. Between September 2011 and May 2012 three conferences were organised in Berlin, Tokyo and Brussels. The policy recommendations from those conferences have now been published and will be presented by EJARN Executive Committee member, Prof. Dr. Axel Berkovsky, University of Pavia.