Dissertation from Tamara Maier, Double MA Europe and the World, ASTON UNIVERSITY, LSS School - September 2015.

Abstract

Negotiated at the same time as the TPP, the TTIP and the RCEP, the EU-Japan FTA could seem like a minor agreement and yet, it is claimed to be an ambitious endeavour (DG Trade, 2015) and Japan even talks about this project as being a “Mega FTA” (METI, 2015), very defining for both economies, as well as regional and global trade and rule-making. While both the EU and Japan are major economic powers sharing common values, an FTA doesn’t appear like the most obvious thing between both partners as much because of their geographical position as because of Japan’s tradition of poor trade openness (OECD, 2011). And yet, both parts have been committing to major efforts to achieve this goal since 2009. The project was even pushed forward by Japan, in reaction to the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement.
The aim of this dissertation is to understand the role of the East Asian area and the influence of its regional integration process in the evolution of the Euro-Japanese partnership and the wish to start negotiate a Free Trade Agreement.