Three experts in the field of international policy, Dr. Bruno Tertrais, Deputy Director of the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS), Dr. Nathalie Tocci, Director of the Instituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), and Thorsten Benner, Director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) discuss the changing the shape of the of the world and the roles that Japan and the EU may play in the future.

Both Japan and the EU thrived in the previous global environment of the Cold War era, but now they must face a new future of strategic autonomy, in which the partnership and protection of the US may no longer be relied upon. The number of liberal democracies in the world has been shrinking, and it is necessary for the remaining ones, such as Japan and the nations of the EU, to act in solidarity as a way to bolster each other against the spreading ‘virus of populism’. This will be depended on multilateral cooperation between Japan and Europe, to stand up for each other’s interests and work together on shared challenges.