Japan-Europe Security Cooperation from U.S. Perspectives

On March 30, 2021, the Japan-U.S. Program will welcome Dr. Jeffrey Hornung from the RAND Corporation and Dr. Michito Tsuruoka from the Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University for a webinar.
 
The U.S. under President Trump questioned the value of cooperation with its allies, with actions including the announcement by his administration of a plan to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed in Germany in 2020. However, newly elected President Biden appears to be pursuing more allies-focused foreign policies. Debate over the kind of relationship the U.S. will build with its allies, including countries in Europe and Asia, has drawn attention worldwide.
 
Given these circumstances, what is the significance of the recent deepening of relations and security cooperation between Japan and European countries, the two most reliable allies for the United States? As China's expansion of its military forces has become a global issue, the U.K. and France have begun to expand their presence in the Indo-Pacific region in recent years, and Germany has shown greater interest in this region. NATO has also attempted to strengthen relations with the Indo-Pacific region as demonstrated by the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting held in December 2020 where partner countries such as Japan and Australia were invited to join a session on the second day to discuss China issues.
 
In the recently published report "Allies Growing Closer: Japan–Europe Security Ties in the Age of Strategic Competition,"(https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA186-1.html#download) Dr. Hornung describes the relationship between European countries (U.K., France, Germany, NATO) and Japan, and analyzes the historical background, ongoing collaborative activities including strategic dialogues and defense exchanges, and the different motives of each country to strengthen these relationships. He concludes by discussing the meaning of these relationships for the U.S and sharing recommendations.
 
In this webinar, based on the content of this report, Dr. Hornung will present the current situation and importance of Japan-Europe relations from the U.S. perspective. Following that, Dr. Tsuruoka, one of the leading Japanese experts on European security issues, will join the discussion and give comments. We look forward to your participation. Details of the event are as follows:

 

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