Japan-EU Relations
Meeting between Prime Minister Takaichi and President von der Leyen of the European Commission
June 17, 2026
On June 17, commencing at 12:25 p.m. local time (7:25 p.m. on the same day, Japan time) for approximately 20 minutes, Ms. TAKAICHI Sanae, Prime Minister of Japan, who is visiting France to attend the G7 Évian Summit, held a meeting with H.E. Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
- Prime Minister Takaichi stated that Japan wishes to deepen cooperation with the EU and its member states in areas such as defense industry cooperation, cooperation in advanced technology fields, and the strengthening of the resilience of supply chains for essential goods, including critical minerals. President von der Leyen stated that…
- Prime Minister Takaichi expressed concern over the EU's tariff measures to be imposed on Japan's steel products as well as over the Industrial Accelerator Act and urged the EU side to take appropriate responses. In response, President von der Leyen stated that China’s overcapacity is the root cause of the problem and that the EU would continue to make efforts to share information on its measure.
- Prime Minister Takaichi, noting the agreement in principle on Horizon Europe (the EU’s research and development support framework), expressed the intention to work together toward signature at the earliest possible date. In response, President von der Leyen stated that the EU would like to deepen exchanges between researchers on both sides.
- Furthermore, the two sides exchanged candid views on the international situation including Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific such as China and policies towards North Korea, including the nuclear and missile issues as well as the abductions issue, and the Middle East, and confirmed their close cooperation.