Joint press statement on the 7th EU–Japan High-Level Economic Dialogue

On 7 May 2026, the EU and Japan held their 7th High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) in Brussels. Importantly, this was the first time the Dialogue took place in its reinforced format, allowing to expand its focus to cover cooperation on trade and industrial policy as well as on economic security. The Dialogue was co-chaired on the EU side by Mr. Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, and Mr. Maroš Šefčovič , European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency, as co-chairs on the EU side, and by Mr. Akazawa Ryosei, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, and Mr. Hori Iwao, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan on the Japanese side.

During the Dialogue, both sides appreciated their long-standing strategic relationship and shared their commitment to further reinforce it. Both sides reiterated that the EU-Japan is a partnership based on trust, openness and fairness and reconfirmed their commitment to rules-based international order.

This includes their ongoing efforts to reform and support multilateral fora such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as to cooperate under plurilateral initiatives, including at the G7 and through dialogue between the EU and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Moreover, sharing views on the situation in the Middle East, both sides underscored the importance of well-functioning, stable, and transparent energy markets and reaffirmed the importance of secure and uninterrupted trade flows, including the safety of navigation and the protection of critical maritime routes and infrastructure.

Importantly, the Ministers discussed several pressing challenges that the EU and Japan share. They expressed their concerns over all forms of economic coercion applied by third countries. In particular, they regretted the recent expansion of unjustified export restrictions and reiterated the importance of ensuring that export control measures are narrowly defined, non-discriminatory, and in line with international law and practice, so as not to disrupt strategic supply chains, notably those for critical minerals. They also expressed their serious concerns about the use of non-market policies and practices that are leading to harmful overcapacity and market distortions.

In this context, the EU and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to jointly work on enhancing supply chains and thereby to deliver on the EU-Japan Competitiveness Alliance established at the EU-Japan Summit in July 2025, in particular by strengthening complementarities and building resilient and secure markets in strategic products, notably in critical minerals, batteries, clean tech, clean energy including offshore wind, hydrogen and solar, steel, robotics and biotech, defense and space industry, building on the work in the relevant bilateral fora as well as events including those held in the EU-Japan business and Industrial Week.

They also acknowledged the ongoing discussions between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) on their cooperation. Ministers also welcomed the progress achieved through the matchmaking sessions for the Strategic Projects under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) reiterated their intention to explore support to realize additional joint critical mineral projects between the EU and Japan.

Acknowledging the significant advancements of the MoU between Battery Association for Supply Chain, European Battery Alliance and RECHARGE based on the EU-Japan Competitiveness Alliance, Ministers will implement policies to promote both industries' collaboration for further enhancing supply-chain resilience in batteries including organizing opportunities for battery industries in both sides to explore real business chances.

Building on the Memorandum of Cooperation signed last year among Japan's Green Transition (GX) Acceleration Agency, JETRO and InnoEnergy, both sides also intend to advance initiatives such as providing support for startups engaged in innovation in both sides.

Ministers reaffirmed the role of the EU-Japan Business Roundtable as a place of policy exchange and as an investment platform to facilitate business projects between Europe and Japan.

Moreover, following on the Leaders' call at the 2025 Summit and building on their shared commitment to enhance cooperation on economic security and address critical dependencies and systemic vulnerabilities, the Ministers concurred on reinforcing the EU-Japan cooperation under the upgraded EU-Japan Working Group on Economic Security and Related Emerging Trade and Economic Issues, highlighting the need for closer engagement on the promotion and protection of critical and emerging technologies. This cooperation will encompass joint work on technology transfer risk assessment, mitigating measures, coordinated responses and structured engagement with private sector and technology holders. Both sides will aim at promoting this cooperation within the G7 and to other like-minded partners.

In the context of Japan's concerns about the EU's proposed measure on steel, both sides concurred to continue discussions, in consideration of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement and the WTO-covered agreements, while stressing that stronger global action is needed to tackle global steel overcapacity.

Both sides exchanged views on their respective industrial policies to seek a mutually beneficial solution and will continue discussions towards maintaining and further enhancing free, open, inclusive and transparent trade and supply chains between the EU and Japan, especially in the automobile and battery sector, consistent with international rules.

Finally, they will further build up cooperation and discussions towards the next EU-Japan Summit.