Abstract
The European Union and Japan share similar values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. They also share market economy and free trade, and the promotion of peace and well-being not only for themselves but also for the world. The EU has the largest GDP in the world and Japan ranks fourth after China took over third place in 2010.
Since the age of trade frictions between them ended in the early 1990s, the EU and Japan have been partners in a joint framework through the Joint Declaration in 1991 and the Action Plan in 2001. Yet there have been very few effective joint actions and initiatives. What are the basic reasons for this inactiveness, now described as an ‘expectations deficit’? This chapter tries to shed more light on the historical development of relations between the two and tries to explain why they are so inactive.
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© 2013 Toshiro Tanaka
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Tanaka, T. (2013). EU-Japan Relations. In: Christiansen, T., Kirchner, E., Murray, P. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of EU-Asia Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230378704_33
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230378704_33
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