Japan and the EC: humanitarian cooperation in the XXI century

Karenin Denis

The rapid development of economic relations between Japan and the European Union that started by the end of the second half of last century has become the subject of numerous political, historic and economic researches. Until recently other areas of cooperation between Tokyo and Brussels, including the humanitarian dimension have not drawn as much attention. At the same time cooperation in such areas as education, science and technology, sports and rendering humanitarian assistance to other nations are among the key areas that have become part of the new strategic partnership between Japan and the EU. Still, after the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Japan the majority of contemporary studies are focused on its consequences and its impact on the world economy. The aim set by the author of the article is studying the history of development and the current state of humanitarian ties between Japan and the European Union. The research is focused on the ties that exist between Japan and the EU as supranational structure. The author 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 official materials published on internet portals of Japanese and European nongovernmental organizations. The conclusion drawn by the author is that including humanitarian cooperation in to the official agenda of the political dialog between Japan and the EU and the involvement of government bodies into its implementation will provide a significant impetus to its further development.

Keywords:European Union, Japan, European Commission, humanitarian cooperation, cultural cooperation, sports diplomacy, nongovernmental organizations.