Message from Ambassador

Thank you for visiting the webpage of the Mission of Japan to the European Union.
Since its establishment in 1975, the Mission of Japan has represented Japan in Brussels, Belgium where 3 major EU institutions (the Council of the European Union, European Commission, and European Parliament) locate themselves, with the aim of maintaining and fostering good Japan-EU relations.

The EU consists of 28 Members States and is a major pillar in the international community along with the US, and plays an important leading role in achieving world peace and prosperity. The EU as a whole accounts for 22% of the world’s GDP (2015) with a population of over 500 million, and it continues to evolve as a unique “political and economic union”.

I arrived in Brussels on 19 September 2016, and on 27 September 2016, I presented my credentials to President Tusk (European Council) and immediately started my official role as Ambassador to the European Union. Japan and the EU share the same fundamental values, namely democracy, human rights, rule of law, and market economy. With these shared values in mind, Japan and the EU have built a strong political, economic and even cultural relationship and cooperation for over 70 years since World War II.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration when I say that the main purpose of this Mission is to do what is necessary in order to support what has been built up so far, and make the bond between Japan and the EU even stronger. For my part, I will do my upmost to make the Mission more reliable, more pro-active and more visible.

For the time being, the Mission has two main tasks. The first is to facilitate the conclusion of two important agreements currently in negotiation: the Economic Partnership Agreement and the Strategic Partnership Agreement with the European Union. These two agreements will elevate Japan-EU relations to the higher level in terms of politics, security and economic relations. I myself do not engage in negotiations directly, but it is my task to facilitate and provide assistance in order to bring the two sides closer with the aim of concluding both of these important negotiations.

The second task is in relation to Brexit. On 23 June this year, following the referendum in the UK, the UK population voted to leave the EU. The Mission will work hard to collect information from the European institutions in this regard, as well as to communicate with the European side and convey the position of the Japanese government and business stakeholders. The message of the Japanese government on Brexit is very simple and clear: whatever form Brexit takes, we want the relations between the UK and the EU to remain the same as much as possible, including the access to the EU single market and the maintenance of a free and open economy. The negotiations between the UK government and the European Union will start after the UK triggers the Article 50 procedure, formally announcing its will to withdraw itself from the EU. Myself and the Mission will do our very best to follow up on this issue as thoroughly as possible.

We will work to further improve the content of this webpage, and should you have any inquiries about the content or any requests, please do not hesitate to send us your opinion (info@eu.mofa.go.jp).
2016 has been a tremendous year, including Brexit. I wish that 2017 will be the year that the international community will enjoy peace and stability, a sustainable world economy and inclusive growth, and every single one of us will be able to enjoy prosperity in our daily lives.