Japan in the 2019 G20 and G7 Summits: A Key Partner for Europe?
This essay offers a general assessment of Japan’s performance in the 2019 G20 and G7 Summits, held respectively in Osaka, Japan and Biarritz, France and looks at how Tokyo coordinated with its European partners (The European Union (EU) institutions and the EU Member States) in these international settings.
The analysis reveals several differences and expectation gaps between the two partners. In particular, even if Tokyo is aligned with most European objectives in terms of trade and data governance, Japan insists on accommodating the US, on which its security still very much depends. Also, Japan’s preference for consensus-building disappoints European states’ search for a more ambitious leadership – on the issue of climate change, for example. On Japan’s side too, there is frustration. The rigidity of European positions and solutions (on a strict protection of digital data privacy, for example) is a concern. Regarding the G7 Summit held in France, the informality of the meeting was an issue for Japan’s formal diplomatic style and Tokyo was disappointed by the very brief mention of Asian affairs in the final communiqué. A candid dialogue between Japan and its European partners, backed by track 1.5 discussions, should be held to reduce misunderstandings and more efficiently push common interests in multilateral settings.
Policy Recommendations
- Japan should more clearly delineate its priorities, objectives and constraints, while advocating its role as a consensus-builder and go-between in international settings.
- Europeans should acknowledge the constraints of Japan’s strategic autonomy and the characteristics of its diplomatic style in order to ensure an optimal cooperation in the G7/G20 meetings to come.
- A permanent candid dialogue between Europeans and Japanese through Track 1.5 venues should strengthen mutual understanding and help advance their partnership
The full article is available on Global Policy's website.
Available in:
Regions and themes
Share
Author(s)
Céline PAJON
Chercheuse, responsable de la recherche Japon et Indo-Pacifique, Centre Asie de l'Ifri
Related centers and programs
Discover our other research centers and programs
Center for Asian Studies
Asia is a nerve center for multiple global economic, political and security challenges. The Center for Asian Studies provides documented expertise and a platform for discussion on Asian issues to accompany decision makers and explain and contextualize developments in the region for the sake of a larger public dialogue.
The Center's research is organized along two major axes: relations between Asia's major powers and the rest of the world; and internal economic and social dynamics of Asian countries. The Center's research focuses primarily on China, Japan, India, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, but also covers Southeast Asia, the Korean peninsula and the Pacific Islands.
The Centre for Asian Studies maintains close institutional links with counterpart research institutes in Europe and Asia, and its researchers regularly carry out fieldwork in the region.
The Center organizes closed-door roundtables, expert-level seminars and a number of public events, including an Annual Conference, that welcome experts from Asia, Europe and the United States. The work of Center’s researchers, as well as that of their partners, is regularly published in the Center’s electronic journal Asie.Visions.
Find out more
Discover all our analyses
Expanding SPDMM as a pivotal institution in the Pacific – A French perspective
The South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM) is the only forum that brings together defense ministers from the wider South Pacific — including Chile, which is hosting it for the first time. This heterogeneous group of countries with varying resources, capacities, and interests — Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea (PNG), and Tonga — are united by their shared determination to strengthen cooperation on maritime security and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) activities.
EU’s Derisking From China: A Daunting Task
With economic security as a major concern, the EU has recently turned to “derisking” from China. The EU strategy entails reducing critical dependencies and vulnerabilities, including in EU supply chains, and diversifying where necessary, while recognizing the importance and need to maintain open channels of communication.
Sri Lanka’s NPP Government. From System Change to Structural Compliance
In September 2024, a relative outsider to Sri Lanka’s two-party-dominated political system, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, won the presidential elections. The anti-establishment, populist movement he represented, the National People’s Power (NPP), went on to receive an overwhelming mandate in the November 2024 general elections, winning 159 seats in a 225-member parliament.
Japan Under Trump: Alliance Strains, the Push for Autonomy and Essential Partnerships
Japan is under pressure from the United States (US) on punitive tariffs and demands for increased defence spending. This has sparked deep concern over US credibility and triggered growing domestic calls for greater autonomy.