Ambassador’s Letter: July Issue - The Significance of Regional Cooperation

Dear Readers,

As we enter the period of the Taisho (Great Heat), I hope this letter finds you all in good health and high spirits. Here in Ireland, we have enjoyed a stretch of fine, clear weather, with some days bringing calls over the radio to conserve water. 

On 1 July, Ireland assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the eighth time, its first in 13 years. Leading a regional bloc of 27 member states, Ireland places great importance on boosting competitiveness within the European single market and advancing cooperation with EU members that share common values. At the same time, it is prioritising the acceleration of accession negotiations with candidate countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania. Furthermore, in light of the prolonged Russian aggression against Ukraine and the unstable situation in the Middle East, deepening European security cooperation and working unitarily as one EU towards a swift settlement to these crises are highlighted as top priorities. 

During this time of year, as was the case during my posting in Denmark a few years ago, many embassies across Europe hold their annual national day receptions. Here in Ireland, multiple national day receptions take place every week. At almost every reception hosted by EU member states in Dublin, three anthems are sung: the Irish national anthem, the Anthem of Europe (Beethoven’s Ode to Joy), and the host embassy’s national anthem. At the ceremony hosted by the Irish Government at Dublin Castle on 1 July to mark the commencement of the EU Presidency, the Ukrainian national anthem was performed as well in the presence of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was invited as a special guest, following the Irish and European anthems. 

While various forms of regional cooperation exist around the globe, the EU’s framework appears, on the whole, to be a step ahead of others in terms of the close degree of integration among its members. The clear advantage is that when 27 members speak with one voice, their message carries significant weight in the international arena. On the flip side, given the sheer number of members involved, reaching a consensus to unify their stance often proves time-consuming. 

Looking at this from the opposite perspective, for non-EU countries like Japan, communicating effectively with EU representatives in Brussels or with the member holding the EU Presidency (Ireland for this half-year) can ideally achieve a result equivalent to engaging with all 27 member states individually. However, since not all matters require or reach unanimous agreement, careful and repeated dialogue with individual member states remains essential in such cases. 

Furthermore—recalling my experience over a decade ago when I participated in the negotiation team for the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement and engaged with the EU side—once a common position is forged among the 27 states (28 prior to the Brexit), the typical response to external feedback tends to be: "We understand your perspective, but realistically, revising and re-coordinating the position of the 27 member states at this stage is virtually impossible." It was certainly no easy task. 

This begs the question: is it always better to be part of a regional cooperation framework? Speaking for Japan, we have built a multi-layered network by joining various regional groupings — such as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), ASEAN+3(Japan, China and South Korea), and the Quad (Japan, Australia, India and US) — alongside concluding 22 economic partnership agreements and similar treaties. Compared to EU member states, some of these frameworks are relatively flexible in terms of meeting frequency and the legal bindingness of decisions across different sectors. 

While I have posed a question with no simple answer, if pressed, I would say that each nation constructs its own approach to regional cooperation tailored to its specific foreign, economic, and security policies. 

Returning to Ireland’s EU Presidency: it has now been a month since its inception. Alongside daily meetings in Brussels, informal EU ministerial meetings — such as those for ministers responsible for employment and social affairs, and justice and internal affairs — have taken place across various locations in Ireland. As of writing this letter (23 July), Taoiseach Micheál Martin is visiting Ukraine as leader of the member holding the EU Presidency, deepening dialogue to offer all possible cooperation towards restoring peace. Under the slogan "Ní neart go cur le chéile — Strength with unity", Ireland appears to be fostering the further deepening of EU integration step by step.

Regarding relations with Japan, Irish educational and scientific departments and institutions are, for instance, following with keen interest schemes that promote Japan-EU research and development, such as Horizon Europe. Moreover, the Irish Government is listening attentively to Japan’s perspective on strengthening economic security — a shared interest between Japan, Ireland, and the EU — and is striving to ensure balanced discussions within the EU. 

August begins tomorrow, and Ireland will shift into summer holiday mode. May I wish you all good health, and I look forward to meeting you again next month, either on this page or somewhere in Ireland.

Yours sincerely,
MIYAGAWA Manabu  
Ambassador of Japan to Ireland