Japan and the EU: Transnational Cooperation in the XXI Century
Up to the present day only a few historic studies of current relations between the European Union and Japan have been carried out. Most of them are focused on events that took place during the first decade of the 21st century. Up to now the theme in question has mainly been researched by journalists and political scientists. At the same time, the massive integration processes initiated by Brussels and Tokyo pose and interest to historians involved in studies of international relations. The aim set by the authors of the current article is to study and analyze the development of contemporary relations between Japan and the nations of Western Europe. The authors resorted to the complex systems approach, as it is the best way to describe the multidimensional nature of ties between Europe and Japan. Among the main sources of information used for the research in question are foreign periodicals, bilateral and multilateral agreements between Japan and the EU, statistical reports of the European Commission and the Government of Japan as well as a number of earlier studies carried out by Russian, Japanese and Western scientists. The conclusion made by the authors of the article is that in spite of the trends towards strengthening of national egoism and protectionism, which have been on the rise since the 2009 global financial crisis, Japan and the European Union continue to build up their cooperation based on the principles of neoliberalism thereby proving the viability of this model of international relations.