Japan and Europe bolster security ties in face of shared threats

Concern over China and Russia push partners closer together

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and European Council President Charles Michel pose for a photo on July 13. (Photo courtesy of the European Commission)

TAKASHI TSUJI and EIKI HAYASHI, Nikkei staff writers

November 5, 2023 20:00 JST

BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT, Germany -- Japan and the European Union are rapidly expanding their security partnership, looking to coordinate their response to global challenges ranging from an increasingly assertive China to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We know that Indo-Pacific security and European security are indivisible," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said July 13 in a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.