The conference is organised by the Institute of East Asian Studies IN-EAST. Senior Research Fellow Maaike Okano-Heijmans will be leading one of the research workshops 'The EU-Japan Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality: Towards a privileged strategic relationship?'. Register here. 

The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) entered into force on 1 February 2019. After some time has lapsed, the conference will shed light on the first experiences and on outlining future-oriented perspectives for deepening the bilateral economic cooperation between Japan and the EU further. One issue for the discussion will be what impact the current COVID-19 pandemic may have. The conference is split between a more academically focused workshop on November 10 and a symposium for a wider audience on November 19.

Check out full programme. 

Research workshop: Understanding the EU-Japan EPA and the partnership on sustainable connectivity and quality infrastructure. 

The Research Workshop will take up a number of analytical aspects. It is divided into two sections, with contributions from renowned experts. Part 1 will deal with analytical issues of the bilateral EPA itself. Part 2 will cover future options. As the time is limited, this part will focus on one aspect in particular, namely the potential of the EU-Japan Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure signed in September 2019. Key take away-messages of the workshop will be used as input for the symposium.

Introduction and moderation

Werner Pascha
Institute of East Asian Studies IN-EAST, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany

Part 1
Issues of interpreting the EU-Japan EPA

• The EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement in a longer-term perspective: Issues of path dependence and plasticity
• Julie GILSON, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

• Estimating the economic impact of the EU-Japan EPA
• Jens WRONA, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany

Part 2
EU-Japan: From a trade agreement to a partnership on international connectivity?

• Japan’s export of infrastructure systems in the context of its foreign economic policies
• Yoshino Naoyuki, Keio University, Tokyo, and ret. Dean of Asian Development Bank Institute

• The EU-Japan Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality: Towards a privileged strategic relationship?
• Maaike Okano Heijmans, Clingendael Institute (Netherlands Institute of International Relations)

Register

If you would like to join the workshop on 10 November and/or the symposium on 19 November please scroll down the page and register.