EU-Japan
iselingroup.com • brian.iselin(@)iselingroup.com
Iselin Group
🇪🇺
🇯🇵

EU-Japan Relationship Tracker 7.8/10

Japan: EU's 7th largest trading partner EU: Japan's 2nd largest partner (after US)
Economic
8.4
Political
7.5
Security
7.6
Cultural
7.8

Trade & Investment

Total Trade (2023)
€188B
+9% since 2019
Goods + Services (EPA era)
Goods Trade (2024)
€131B
+4.2% YoY
EU exports: €68.8B, imports: €62.2B
Services Trade (2023)
€58B
EU surplus €17.6B
+34.7% since EPA (2018)
EU FDI Stock in Japan (2023)
€86.6B
Steady flows
Official EC/Eurostat data
Japan FDI Stock in EU (2023)
€212.5B
Major investor
Mainly Netherlands, Germany
Trade Balance (2024)
€3.1B
EU surplus (goods)
Total surplus (goods+services): €10.2B (2023)

Bilateral Trade Flows (2024, Goods Only)

🇪🇺
European Union
€68.8B
EU Exports to Japan
Japan Exports to EU
€62.2B
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Japan
Top EU Exports: Chemicals (30%), Motor Vehicles, Machinery, Optical/Medical Instruments, Food & Drink
Top Japan Exports: Machinery, Motor Vehicles (21%), Chemicals, Optical/Medical Instruments, Plastics

Bilateral Trade Evolution (EPA Era: 2018-2024)

FDI Stock Comparison (2023)

Strategic Sectors & Cooperation

Digital Partnership (launched 2022)
3Council meetings
AI, 5G/6G, semiconductors, cybersecurity, data flows
Green Alliance (launched 2021)
Activecooperation
Net-zero 2050, hydrogen, decarbonization, circular economy
Geographical Indications Protected
423GIs
291 EU, 132 Japan (EPA framework)
Cross-Border Data Flows Agreement
2024in force
July 2024: Added to EPA, digital protectionism safeguard

Sector Engagement Intensity by Year (Indicative)

2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Green Technology
62
75
78
82
88
Digital Economy
45
58
73
81
86
Automotive
78
80
83
87
91
Pharma & Chemicals
71
76
79
83
86
Semiconductors
38
52
61
74
79

Political & Diplomatic Engagement

EU-Japan Summits
30total
Latest: July 2025 (Tokyo, 30th Summit)
High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED)
6sessions
Latest: May 2024 (economic security focus)
Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA)
2018signed
Political-security cooperation framework
Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
2019in force
5th anniversary: Feb 2024, 99%/97% tariff liberalization

Timeline of Key Events (2019-2025)

EPA Enters into Force
Feb 2019
EU-Japan Green Alliance Launch
May 2021
Digital Partnership Launch
May 2022
Submarine Cable MoU Signed
July 2023
Data Flows Agreement in Force
July 2024
30th EU-Japan Summit
July 2025

Methodology & Assessment Framework

Primary Data Sources

  • European Commission DG Trade (official 2023-2024 data)
  • Eurostat trade & FDI statistics (2023-2024)
  • MOFA Japan: EU-Japan Summit & dialogue reports
  • EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation trade reports
  • Official EPA Committee documents and HLED press releases

Analysis & Assessment

  • Overall Engagement Score: Weighted aggregate of economic, political, security, and cultural cooperation metrics
  • Sector Intensity: Based on official policy documents, investment trends, joint R&D initiatives, regulatory alignment
  • Trade & FDI Trends: Eurostat and DG Trade validated data, EPA impact analysis (2018-2024)
  • Diplomatic Activity: Summit frequency, HLED sessions, joint declarations, sectoral dialogues
Iselin Group • EU-Japan Strategic Policy Tracker
Commissioned by the Japanese Mission to the European Union. This dashboard is provided for consultative and research insight only.
© Iselin Group 2025. Proprietary stylings, research, and scoring used under license.