Japan and the European Union: A Partnership for the Twenty-First Century?

Relations between Japan and the EU rarely hit the headlines, but the changing global geopolitical balance in the 1990s has prompted Japan to reassess its international role and to question the basis upon which its foreign economic policies have rested for the past half century. This book traces the history of Japan's interaction with the EU and assesses how together they have the potential to offer joint solutions to the problems of the 21st century. In examining the development of that cooperation, the book also analyzes the importance of mutual perceptions for creating the right environment in which bilateral relations may prosper.