The visit followed on the 28^th EU-Japan Summit (May 2022, Tokyo) and aimed to lay the ground for a productive High-Level Dialogue on Environment, which will tentatively take place in Tokyo in January 2024.

The mission created timely opportunities to pass key messages right ahead of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) and the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution (INC-1); and it served to push for the quick and ambitious conclusion of our Green Alliance’s Operational Working Plan. It also offered a chance to positively influence Japan to generate national circular economy frameworks that address product requirements and on raising aspirations — even moderately — on the issue of deforestation. More broadly, the visit was important to update Japan on the EU’s high ambition in the current delivery of its European Green Deal policies, and thereby to raise awareness on the EU’s expectations that the bilateral cooperation can deliver more ambitious outcomes in the future.

This visit made it possible to secure several important messages. In line with the Commissioner’s emphasis on environmental policy as a potential remedy to current economic and geopolitical insecurities, Japan signalled — via the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry — that it is ready to consider a deeper cooperation on circular economy, including on product requirements and in industrial sectors of mutual interest with the EU. Other welcome messages from Japan include a positive approach to numerical targets in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and a reiteration of its alignment with the EU on the 30x30 and a strong implementation mechanism; commitments to an ambitious agreement and an active involvement of Japan in the Global Agreement on Plastics negotiation process; and a recognition of the need to promptly deliver concrete outputs under the Green Alliance in areas including circular economy and biodiversity. This mission also enabled new personal connections and hopefully will give new impetus to the cooperation. Interlocutors were systematically updated on key EU policy developments and reminded of the high level of ambition expected from Japan on core issues.

Meeting Japanese authorities and stakeholders also allowed us to identify persisting constraints on the delivery of a superior level of ambition under our Green Alliance. Such restrictions include the lack of additional commitments on resource mobilisation and Digital Sequence Information ahead of COP15; the absence of opening to cooperation on deforestation beyond illegal harvesting; and the persistence of a closed approach regarding new Antarctic marine protected areas under CCAMLR.