DISCUSSION

Report of Japan-Euro Intellectual Dialogue

By Staff Writer

January 20, 2016

“The Japan-Euro Intellectual Dialogue,” co-organized by the Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA), was held at ANA Intercontinental Tokyo on November 11 2015 under the general theme of “Japan-Euro Strategic Partnership and Future of Asia and Beyond,” with participation of leading intellectuals from Japan and Europe.The “Dialogue” is composed of the following two sessions:

Session I: Changing Power Balance in East Asia and Japan-Euro Cooperation
Session II: International Order in the 21th Century and Japan-Euro Cooperation

This “Dialogue,” convened behind the closed doors, aimed to present an overview of today’s international security landscape with special reference to Asia, both from Japanese and European perspective, thereby establishing shared recognition between the two parties on the importance of Japan-Euro cooperation on how to cope jointly with the changing security environment in Asia and beyond. The Summary of the “Dialogue” is as follows;

Opening Remarks
At the outset, on behalf of Prof. Dr. ITO Kenichi, President of JFIR, Ms. WATANABE Mayu, Executive Director of JFIR read his opening remarks. Then, Ms. KOBAYASHI Maki, Director of European Policy Division, European Affairs Bureau of MOFA made her opening remarks.

Session I: Changing Power Balance in East Asia and Japan-Euro Cooperation

This session was chaired by Prof. MORIMOTO Satoshi, Director of JFIR and former Defense Minister of Japan. In the session, presentations were made by Prof. HOSOYA Yuichi of Keio University, Prof. IZUMIKAWA Yasuhiro of Chuo University, Prof. TAKAHARA Akio of the University of Tokyo and Dr. HASHIMOTO Yasuaki, of the National Institute for Defense Studies from the Japanese side, and by Dr. Markus KAIM of German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Dr. Elena ATANASSOVA-CORNELIS, Lecturer of University of Antwerp and Dr. Mario ESTEBAN, Senior Analyst of Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies from the European side.

The major points made in this session are as follows:
➢ The ongoing changes in the power balance in East Asia should be understood as challenges to the established rules and norms of the current international order being made by China, which is essentially linked to what is happening in Ukraine.

➢ Being aware of the significance of the geopolitical turbulence in Asia, the US implemented “rebalance” to Asia. However, it might be possible that the US “rebalance” to Asia could not be perpetual as she is in a permanent process of readjusting its strategic priorities on a global scale.

➢ European countries regard the rise of China mainly as an economic opportunity with which they revitalize their economy while East Asia at large is not a strategical priority for them. Besides, Europe is not a homogeneous when it comes to devising a unitary policy toward China, of which China could take advantage.

➢ At any rate, Japan and Europe should support what is called “internationalists” within the policy circles in China who are expected to motivate the country to observe the existing international rules and norms.

➢ For the time being, Japan and Europe should hasten conclusion of the free trade agreement to underline international norms for trade to set an example.

➢ Importance of cooperation in cyber and outer space between Japan and Europe should also be noted.

Session II: International Order in the 21st Century and Japan-Euro Cooperation

This session was chaired by Prof. NAKANISHI Hiroshi, Councilor, JFIR and Professor of Kyoto University. In the session, presentations were made by Prof. MUTSUSHIKA Shigeo, Councilor, JFIR and Professor of University of Shizuoka, Dr. TSURUOKA Michito, Senior Fellow of the National Institute for Defense Studies, Prof. WATANABE Hirotaka, and Professor of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies from the Japanese side and by Dr. Rem KORTEWEG, Senior Research Fellow of the Centre for European Reform, Dr. Markku KANGASPURO, Deputy Director of Aleksanteri Institute of University of Helsinki, Dr. Frederic GRARE, Senior Associate of Carnegie Europe and Dr. Thomas GOMART, Director of French Institute of International Relations from the European side.

The major points made in this session are as follows:
➢ The biggest challenge Japan and Europe commonly face is how to respond to the “power vacuum” created after the US retreat from Europe and Middle East, which also relates to energy security that tops the agenda of both Europe and Japan.

➢ In terms of energy security, Japan and Europe, both as biggest energy consumers, should jointly negotiate with energy suppliers including Russia and The Middle East. In this regard, there is an opportunity to cooperate with China as well.

➢ Russia is satisfied with the Minsk Agreement that prevented a nationalistic and anti-Russian Ukraine and made the conflict “frozen.”

➢ On the ISIL, while it has emerged under countries of dictatorship where all forms of opposition were eliminated, the population is willing to be integrated into the existing international order. Therefore, we should refrain from exaggeration of the threat of political Islam at large.

Participants List
[Opening Remarks]
ITO Kenichi ─── President, JFIR
(Read by WATANABE Mayu, Executive Director of JFIR)
KOBAYASHI Maki ─── Director, European Policy Division, European Affairs Bureau, MOFA

[Chairpersons]
MORIMOTO Satoshi ─── Director, JFIR / former Defense Minister
NAKANISHI Hiroshi ─── Councilor, JFIR / Professor, Kyoto University

[Japanese Participants]
HOSOYA Yuichi ─── Professor, Keio University
IZUMIKAWA Yasuhiro ─── Professor, Chuo University
TAKAHARA Akio ─── Councilor, JFIR / Professor, The University of Tokyo
HASHIMOTO Yasuaki ─── Director, Policy Studies Department, The National Institute for Defense Studies
MUTSUSHIKA Shigeo ─── Councilor, JFIR / Professor, University of Shizuoka
TSURUOKA Michito ─── Senior Fellow, The National Institute for Defense Studies
WATANABE Hirotaka ─── Professor, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

[European Participants]
Markus KAIM ─── Senior Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP)
Elena ATANASSOVA-CORNELIS ─── Lecturer and Associate Researcher, University of Antwerp
Mario ESTEBAN ─── Senior Analyst, Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies
Rem KORTEWEG ─── Senior Research Fellow, The Centre for European Reform
Markku KANGASPURO ─── Deputy Director, Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki
Frederic GRARE ─── Senior Associate, Carnegie Europe
Thomas GOMART ─── Director, French Institute of International Relations (IFRI)

(In order of appearance)

[Master of Ceremony]
YANO Takuya ─── Research Coordinator, JFIR

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