NoC249/34 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 13.9.93
systematiclinkagebetweenthevarioustypesof
measurestakeninthedifferentDirectorates-General .barriersingeneralarewidelyavailable.Tothisendit
isessentialtokeepanactiverecordofusers,with
theirassociationsparticipatinginasynergicfashion
alongsideresearchinstitutes,industry,administrative
authoritiesandsocialbodies. 9.Onamorespecificpoint,theCommitteedraws
theCouncil'sattentiontotheneedfortheCommission
tosendtheevaluationofTIDE'sresultsnotonlytothe
CouncilandParliament (Article4),butalsotothe
Committee .8.InordertomaketheTIDEschememoreeffective,
aspecialcoordinationgroupshouldbesetuptoprovide
DoneatBrussels,30June1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
OpinionontheEuropeanCommunity'srelationswithJapan
(93/C249/13)
On20October1992theEconomicandSocialCommittee,actingunderthethirdparagraph
ofArticle20oftheRulesofProcedure,decidedtodrawupanOpinionontheEuropean
Community'srelationswithJapan.
TheSectionforExternalRelations,TradeandDevelopmentPolicy,whichwasresponsible
forpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon16June1993.
TheRapporteurwasMrRomoli.
i
Atits307thPlenarySession(meetingof30June1993),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
unanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
SUMMARY Itmightinfactbepossibletoembarkonanewphase
injointventuresbetweenECandJapanesefirms,both
withintheCommunityandelsewhere,aspartofthe
wide-rangingeconomicandpoliticalcooperationsug­
gestedbyarecentreportfromtheJapaneseMinistry
ofForeignAffairs.TheOpinionsetsouttoconsiderthemediumandlong­
termguidelinesforeconomicandpoliticalrelations
betweentheEuropeanCommunityandJapan,which
havealreadyimprovedconsiderablysincetheJoint
Declarationof18July1991.
TheOpinionrecommendsthattheECandJapan
shouldnotaggravateshort-termtradefrictionsbut
shouldinvestigatethecausesthereofandfindwaysof
restoringthetradebalance.
Italsocallsforthoroughconsiderationofthescaleof
theJapanesetradesurplusandoftheopportunities
whichtheuseoftheresultingfinancialsurplusesmight
offer.TheOpinionwarmlyapprovesthisapproachandurges
thatrapidstepsbetakentogivesubstancetothe
statementsofintentthathavebeenmade.
Ofkeyimportance,however,istheneedtoimprove
mutualunderstanding andculturalandsocialdialogue
betweentheEuropeanCommunityandJapan.

13.9.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC249/35
EC-JAPANRELATIONS :TOWARDSANEW 2.4.AsaresultoftheJointDeclaration,cooperation
STAGEINCOOPERATION betweenthetwopartieshasbeensteppedup.
2.5.Amuchbetterunderstanding ofeachother's
problemsandneedshasbeenestablished ,andthishas
ledtoaconsiderableimprovementinrelations.1.Introduction
1.1.AtitsPlenarySessionon25April1991theESC
adoptedanOpiniononrelationsbetweentheUnited
StatesandJapanandbetweentheEuropeanCom­
munityandJapan(1).2.6.EC-Japanrelationsareclearlynotascloseand
healthyasJapan-USrelations,whichhavebeenfirmly
establishedforalongtime,buttherehasbeenencourag­
ingprogresswhichgivesgroundsforoptimismabout
thefuture.1.2.TheOpinionendedwithsomeideasandrec­
ommendations forimprovingEC-Japanrelations,and
inparticularforagreaterunderstanding ofeachother's
culturalandsocialvalues.2.7.Headsofgovernmentandministers—andtech­
nicalcooperationcommittees—havemetattheagreed
intervals.
3.ThecontributionoftheEuropeanCommunity1.3.Twoyearson,theCommitteefeelsitusefulto
takeupitsanalysis,inordertocheckontheresults
achievedandtoassessthemoreimmediateprospectsin
thelightoftherecessionwhichhashittheinternational
economy .
1.4.TheCommitteealsoproposestocontribute
somefurtherideasconcerningthemediumandlong­
termguidelinesforEC-Japanrelations,asthese
relationswillbevitalforinternationalstabilityand
progress.3.1.TheCommissionhasbeenextremelyactivein
bilateralcontacts,drawingupstudiesanddiscussion
paperswhichhavehelpedsettheproblemsincontext.
2.Theimprovement inEC-Japaninstitutional
relations3.2.MentionshouldherebemadeoftheCom­
missionCommunication of21May1992entitled'A
consistentandglobalapproach:AreviewoftheCom­
munity'srelationswithJapan'.ThisCommunication
highlightedeconomicpolicytrendsonthetwosides
andpinpointedaseriesofstructuralandbehavioural
obstacleswhichhavesometimesimpededthedesired
cooperation .
3.3.TheCommunication formedthebasisforthe
PoliticalDeclaration'RelationswithJapan:Council
Conclusions',approvedbytheEuropeanCouncilin
Luxembourgon15June1992.2.1.On18July1991,afewmonthsaftertheadop­
tionoftheESCOpinion,theECanditsMemberStates
formallyapprovedaJointDeclarationwithJapan
whichgavetheirrelationsanewpoliticaldimension,
settingoutgeneralprinciplesforfuturedialogueand
cooperation .
2.2.TheDeclarationdefinedtheobjectivesofbilat­
eralandinternationaleconomiccooperation,andof
scientificandtechnologicalcooperation .Theparties
wouldpromotejointprojectsandcooperateonsocial
andculturalproblemsofcommoninterest,inorder
toimproveunderstanding anddialoguebetweentheir
respectivepeoples.3.4.ThisDeclarationinvitestheECinstitutionsand
nationalgovernmentsto'followaconsistentandglobal
approach'intheirrelationswithJapan,asthisisthe
onlywaytoachievemutuallysatisfactoryresults.
2.3.TheDeclarationalsolaiddownproceduresfor3.5.TheEuropeanParliamenthasalsoconsidered
strengtheningexistingconsultationmechanisms,andthegeneralandsectoralaspectsofEC-Japanrelations,
foradoptingotherconsultationandcooperationinitiat-onwhichithasissuedtwomajorresolutionscontaining
ivesandinstrumentsatbothgovernmentandtechnicaldetailedanalyses:
levels.
—reportissuedbytheCommitteeonForeignAffairs
andSecurityon22April1992,onpoliticalrelations
betweentheEuropeanCommunityandJapan(Rap­
i1)OJNoC159,17.7.1991,p.63. porteur:MrGianniBagetBozzo);

NoC249/36 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 13.9.93
reportissuedbytheCommitteeonExternalEcon­
omicRelationson1December1992,ontradeand
economicrelationsbetweentheEuropeanCom­
munityandJapan(Rapporteur :MrJamesMoor­
house).entirelynewterms,arguingstronglyfora'genuine
partnership'inlinewiththe1991jointdeclaration.
4.10.Thereportoutlinesanumberofpossible
initiativescoveringpoliticaldialogueandcooperation
inavarietyofareas.Althoughtheseareonlysketched
outingeneralterms,theyareofconsiderableinterest.
4.TheJapanesecontribution
4.1.TheJapanesetoohaveanalyzedcurrentprob­
lemsandfutureprospectsinconsiderabledetail.4.11.Asecondreport,draftedbytheMITI(Japanese
MinistryforInternationalTradeandIndustry)and
entitled'Europe-Japancooperationpackage'(or'MITI
package'forshort),waspresentedattheinter-minis­
terialmeetingheldinBrusselson15January.
4.2.Intheperiodunderreview,Japaneserepresenta­
tiveshavestatedtheirpositiononvariousgeneraland
specifictopics.4.12.Thisreportmakesanumberofconcretepro­
posalsregardingtrade,investmentandcooperationin
thirdcountries.Toalargeextent,theseechothestance
takenbytheCommunity .
4.3.Thusabodyofopinionhasbeenbuiltupwhich
culminatedintheJapaneseForeignMinistry'sOfficial
Declarationof22June1992ontheJapaneseGovern­
ment'sfundamentalpolicytowardstheEuropeanCom­
munity.5.EC-Japanrelationsinthelightoftheworldecon­
omicrecession
4.4.ThisreaffirmedJapan'scommitmenttodevelop
politicalandeconomicrelationswiththeECaspartof
itsgrowingpresenceontheworldstage;cooperation
withtheECisdeemedvitalhere.5;1.During1992theeconomicsituationinboth
EuropeandJapandeterioratedsharply.Botharenow
inthethroesofacyclicalandanunderlyingstructural
crisiswhosecausesarecomplexandasyetunclear.
4.5.Japanalsointendstoexpanditscooperation
withtheECinthefieldsofculture,scienceandtech­
nologyandtheenvironment .5.2.InbothEuropeandJapan,productionhas
slumpedandprofitshavefallen,resultinginoperating
lossesandrelatedtensionsontheemploymentfront.
5.3.Thesedevelopmentshavehadaseriouspsycho­
logicalimpactinJapanwhich,afterdecadesofuninter­
ruptedgrowthandfullemployment ,hashadtoface
newsocialproblemscausedinteraliabytheadventof
unemployment .4.6.Atthebeginningof1992theJapaneseForeign
MinistryactedonitsconcernthatJapaneseattention
wasfocusedonrelationswiththeUnitedStatesand
tendedtoneglecttheEC.Itinstructedagroupof
experts(academics,businessmen ,financiersand
journalists)chairedbyTeruhikoMano,advisortothe
PresidentoftheBankofTokyo,todrawupareport
onthemediumtolong-termoutlookforJapan-EC
relations.5.4.Atthesametime,themechanismof'domestic
demand-ledgrowth'—whichtheJapaneseGovern­
mentwaspainstakinglyseekingtousherinasanalter­
nativetoexport-ledgrowth—hasbeenstoppeddeadin
itstracks.
4.7.Thereport,entitled'Japan-European Com­
munityeconomicrelations:aproposalfortomorrow'
(knownastheManoReport),isdatedDecember1992
buthasonlybeenmadepublicrecently.5.5.TherehasbeenasharpfallinJapaneseimports,
particularlyofnon-essentialEuropeanluxurygoodsfor
whichdemandishighlyelastic.
4.8.ItarguesthataqualitativeleapisneededinEC­
Japanrelations,andcallsforawide-rangingpolitical
andeconomicdialogueratherthanfocusingontrade
relationsashasbeenthecasehitherto.5.6.Inthefaceofgrowingdomesticproblems,
Japanesefirmshaveagainlookedtoexportstomaintain
theirproductionlevels.
5.7.Theeffectofthishasbeenimmediate :the
Japanesetradesurplushasagainbeguntoshootup,4.9.Inbothitsapproachanditsaims,thereport
considersfuturerelationsbetweentheECandJapanin

13.9.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC249/37
6.Waysofrestoringthetradebalance despitethehardeningoftheyenagainstthedollarand
theEuropeancurrencies.
6.1.Thepersistentimbalanceintradehaslongbeen
consideredthemainproblembesettingEC-Japan
relations.5.8.In1992Japan'stradesurpluswiththeEC
exceeded31000milliondollars(totalimportsworth
31000milliondollarscomparedwithtotalexportsof
62000milliondollars)f1).
6.2.TheCommitteesharestheviewexpressedat
recentministerialmeetings,thatthecausesoftheimbal­
ancehavetobetackledatsource.
5.9.Thesituationhasnotbeenhelpedbytheworsen­
inggeneralclimateininternationaltrade,causedpartly
bythenewUSAdministration 'suncertainstanceon
tradewithotherindustrialized nations.6.3.TheCommitteethereforewelcomesthemoveto
instructagroupofexpertstoanalyzeEC-Japantrade
flowsinbothdirectionsandpinpointthemeasures
neededtoremovethestillremainingobstaclestomarket
access,theaimbeingtosecureafurtherincreasein
theoverallvolumeoftradeandinvestmentinboth
directions .5.10.TheECandJapanhaverecentlyfacedincreas­
ingaccusationsofunfairtradepractices,withconcrete
threatsofunilateralretaliationbyWashington .Only
inthelastfewweekshavetherebeensignsofarelax­
ationinthistrend.
6.4.Theaimshouldbetoidentifyexistingdistor­
tions(suchasthebreakdownofEuropeanexports
toJapancomparedwithEuropeanexportstoother
industrializednations)andtodecidewhatprovisions
areneededtoremovethevariousobstacleswhichstill
blockaccesstotheJapanesemarket(particularlyas
regardsprovisionofservices,investmentandthecapital
market).5.11.Theprospectsfor
AgreementonTariffsand
Roundalsonowseemtobe
ofdeadlockandpessimistic
thatthenegotiationsproper
endoftheyear,thankstothe
amenablestance.unblockingtheGeneral
Trade(GATT)Uruguay
improving.Afteraperiod
forecasts,itnowappears
couldbeconcludedbythe
USAdministration 'smore
6.5.Themostimportantpointherewouldseem
tobesystematicconsultationandcoordinationofthe
policieswhichthetwosideshavesofarpursuedinde­
pendently.5.12.However,themanydisappointments ofthe
pastsuggestthatextremecautionisneeded,particularly
asimportantissuesanddifferencesofopinionstillhave
toberesolved.
6.6.Foritspart,theCommunityhasstatedthatit
wishestodomoretoencourageEuropeanfirmsto
focusmoreattentionontheJapanesemarket.Thisis
amarketwhichshouldofferconsiderablepotentialas
anoutletforEuropeanproducts.5.13.ForallthesereasonstheCommitteefeelsthat
atthisextremelydelicatestageitisvitalthattheEC
andJapanarecarefulnottoaggravatetradefrictions
andendeavourtoreachagreementonbalancedsol­
utionstotheeconomicdifferenceswhichdividethem.6.7.TheCommission intendstocontinuetoencour­
ageEuropeanfirmstomakenewproductiveinvestment
inJapan.
5.14.IftheECandJapanadoptaresponsibleand
moderateattitude,whilealsojointlydefendingthe
multilateralprinciplesoftheGATT,theycaninfluence
theuncertaintiesandisolationistleaningsoftheUSand
persuadeittoadoptamorepositiveandconstructive
stanceandrestoreanacceptableinternationalmonetary
order.6.8.Atthesametime,theJapaneseGovernmenthas
saidthatitintendstoreviewthemeasureswhichstill
restrictaccesstothevarioussectorsofitsmarket,and
tomakeafreshefforttoboostdomesticdemand.
6.9.However,therealnoveltyistheJapanese
Government'sannouncement ofitsintentiontoadopt
newmeasurestoencourageimportsandmakeiteasier
forECfirmstosetupproductionplantsinJapan.(*)TheJapanesetradesurpluswiththeUnitedStatesin1992
was44000milliondollars(totalimportsworth52000million
dollarscomparedwithtotalexportsof96000milliondollars).
.TheJapanesetradebalancewithallthenationsoftheOrgan­
izationforEconomicCo-operation andDevelopment
(OECD)showedasurplusof136800milliondollarsin1992,
andasurplusof153800milliondollarsisforecastfor1994.6.10.Thepackageincludespromotionalmeasures,
financialincentivesandpreferentialtaxmeasures,
informationandsupportcampaignsintheECMember

NoC249/38 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 13.9.93
States,setting-upofadvicecentres,establishmentof7.2.Atallevents,itseemsunrealistictoexpect
'freezones',andothermeasureslistedintheMITIJapan'stradesurpluswithEurope(orindeedwiththe
package. US)tobeeliminatedintheshortorevenmediumterm.
7.3.Accordingly,amoredetailedconsideration is
neededofthescaleoftheJapanesetradesurplus(2)and
itsconsequencesandoftheopportunitiesofferedbyit.6.11.Theappropriateinstitutionalforumforjoint
discussionoftheproblemsraisedbythedesireto
strengthenandbroadeneconomicrelationsisobviously
theperiodiccontactsandmeetingsbetweentheCom­
mission(DGIandtheotherrelevantDGs)andthe
corresponding ministerialbodiesinJapan.7.4.TheCommitteefirmlybelievesthatthepriority
hereshouldbetodevelopactivitiesinwhichthetwo
areascanplayacomplementary roleandintegrate
further,aspartofamediumtolong-termstrategy
whichshouldalsocoverthevariousformsoffinancial
interpenetration.6.12.Atsomeofthesemeetingstheneedtoopen
negotiationsinspecificsectorshasbeenrecognized(1).
6.13.Anotherinterestingdevelopment istherecent
movetoholdperiodicmeetingsbetweentheMITIand7.5.Tothisend,thefocusmustbeontheuseofthe
theECCommission'sDirectorate-General III(respon-financialsurplusescreatedbythetradesurplus.
siblefortheinternalmarketandindustrialaffairs),to
discussindustrialpolicyandeconomiccooperation .
7.6.Itmayberecalledthatthisquestionarosesome
yearsago,inUS-Japanrelations,whenmassivesub­
6.14.MentionshouldalsobemadeofthebilateralscriptiontoUSGovernmentsecurities(3),asubstantial
initiativesandtheassociationsforstudyandcooper-rjsejnproductiveinvestment('transplants')byJapanese
ationwithJapanwhichhavesprungupincertainfirmsonUSterritory,andpropertyinvestmentprovided
MemberStates(UK,France,Spain,etc.). athreefoldoutletforthelargeJapanesesurplus.
6.14.1.TheCommitteeendorsestheproposalsmade
bytheManoReportandbytheMitiReporttoorganize7-7-Viewedinthislight,Japan'stradesurpluswith
seminarsonJapan'sofficialdevelopmentassistance ECcouldofferopeningsforcooperationwithavast
programmeandpolicies.Theseseminarswouldinformgrowthpotential.
andinvolveECbusinesspeoplewithaviewtopromot­
ingjointprojectsindevelopingcountries,Eastern
EuropeandtheformerSovietUnion. 78.Thisisthekeytotheoffersofamoresophisti­
catedand'genuinepartnership'—themostoriginal
andinnovativeaspectoftheManoReport'sProposal
6.15.Finally,theCommitteeconsidersthatiftheforTomorrowwhichwasrecentlysubmittedtotheEC.
abovementioned initiativesarepursuedvigorously,they
cansecuresignificantimprovements inthevolumeand
qualityofECexportstoJapan. 79Oneofthemainstrandsoftheproposalis
thefirmbeliefthatastrongboostformanufacturing ,
financialandtechnologicalcooperationbetweenEC
andJapanesefirmscouldplayakeyroleinrelaunching
7.TheJapanesetradesurplus:anegativesituationbuttheEuropeaneconomyandmakingitmoretechnologi­
onewhichalsooffersanopportunity callyadvanced,andcouldalsohelpimplementthe
ambitiousprojectsscheduledfortheinternalmarket.
s
<
7.1.Itisgenerallyagreedthatgreatercoordination
ofbothsides'economicpoliciescouldsignificantly 7.10.TheCommitteeendorsesthisopenoutlook
improvetheimbalanceintheirtrade,avoidingrecoursewhichencouragesJapanesefirmstobeactiveinthe
toprotectionistrestrictionsorformsofmanagedtrade.EC.However,itmustpointoutthecrucialneedfor
Europeanindustrytobecomemorecompetitiveboth
(*)AnagreementhasrecentlybeenreachedontheCommunity's
importofmotorvehiclesfromJapan.Thissupplementsexist­
ingagreementsandisdesignedtorectifytheseriousposition
facedbythissector.Forfurtherdetailsaboutthespecial
circumstancesofthecarindustry,andotherkeysectorsin
EC-Japantrade,seetheEuropeanParliament'sMoorhouse
ReportofDecember1992.(2)Doubtsremainabouttheaccuracyofthemethodologyused
todeterminethetradesurplus/deficit,andacommitteeof
expertshasbeensetuptoclarifythematter.
(3)Japaniscurrentlythecountrywiththehighestlendingtothe
UnitedStates,Thisobviouslyhasanimpactonrelations
betweenthetwocountries.

13.9.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC249/39
8.2.Onmany,ifnotall,pointstheReportisin
keepingwiththe'consistentandglobalapproach'pre­
sentedintheCommissionCommunication ofMayinternallyandinternationally inordertoavoidthe
economicandpsychological dangersofbeingover­
reliantonfirmswhosedecision-making centresarein
thirdcountries. 1992.
V
7.11.IntheCommittee'sview,themediumandlong­
termobjectiveshouldbetobringthebalancesofpay­
mentsbetweenJapanandtheECintoequilibrium .8.3.Themaindifference—andthisiswherethe
Reportofferssomethingnew—isthespecialemphasis
giventopoliticaldialogueandeconomiccooperation :
matterswhichareofcommoninterestnotonlyas
regardsbothsides'areasofinfluencebutalsoatinter­
nationallevel.
8.4.TheCommitteewarmlyapprovesthisapproach
andconsidersthatitmeritstheutmostattentionfrom
alltheECinstitutions,startingwiththeCommission
andCouncil.7.12.Thereportexplicitlymentionstheneedfor
jointventuresbetweenECandJapanesefirmstotackle
thehugetaskofguidingthecountriesofcentraland
easternEuropeandtheCIStowardsamarketeconomy.
Thiswillalsorequirethecooperationofthegovern­
mentsconcerned .8.5.TheCommitteetruststhatthisnewapproach
willsoonbetranslatedintoaclearpoliticalcommit­
mentandanactionprogrammeforthenearfuture.
A
8.6.TheCommissionanditsJapanesecounterparts
shouldtakerapidstepstocreatetheconditionsand
instrumentsneededtogivesubstancetothesestate­
mentsofintent.7.13.TheManoReportalsoinvitestheECtoplayan
activeroleinthedevelopmentofAsia,andparticularly
SouthEastAsia,whichisalreadytheworld'smost
dynamiccentreofeconomicdevelopment(*).
8.7.EC-Japanrelationsshouldthusenteranew
stage,aptlydescribedbyourJapanesepartnersasa
'genuinepartnership'.7.14.Thereareplanstomobilizethefinancialand
insuranceinstrumentsoftheExport-Import Bankof
Japantosupporttheseinitiatives.
8.8.Thisimportantopportunitymustnotbeletslip.
7.15.Atalaterstage,theCommunityandJapan
shouldsetupacentretodeviseconcretewaysof
addressingthegraveproblems—hithertoneglected—
ofthedevelopingnationswhichmakeupthebulkof
theworldpopulation(2).8.9.TheCommunityandtheMemberStatescould
seekinspirationintheideasandproposalsoftheir
Japanesepartnerswhentheyfinallydefinetheirlong­
termpoliticalguidelines(3).
7.16.ItisdesirablethattheUnitedStatesandallthe
otherG7nationsshouldalsobeinvolvedinthisifthey
sowish.8.10.Thefirsttaskistodecidehowtosecurethe
balanced,sustainabledevelopment—ineconomic,
socialandenvironmental terms—thatthepeopleof
Europesodeeplydesire.Thesecondtaskistoidentify
thepositionandroleoftheEContheinternational
stageoftomorrow.
8.11.TheCommitteeintendstocontributeactively
tothesediscussionsandrecommendations .8.TowardsanewstageinEC-Japancooperation
9.Theneedtoimprovemutualunderstanding and
culturalandsocialdialogue 8.1.TheCommitteenotesthattheManoReport's
recommendations broadlytallywiththeguidelinescon­
tainedintheJuly1991JointDeclarationwhichintro­
ducedanewpoliticaldimensionandbroaderperspec­
tivesfordialoguebetweentheECandJapan.new
toa9.1.Atthepresentstageintheframingofa
policy,theCommitteewishestodrawattention
pointwhichitfeelsisofkeyimportance .
(3)Researchon'thefutureEuropeanidentity'hasbeenunder
wayforsomeyearsinCommissionDGXIII'sFASTdepart­
ment,whichin1991heldaconferenceon'Europeasa
provinceoftheworld'andatthebeginningofJune1993held
aconferenceinWiesbadenon'Europrospective III—Science
andtechnologyfortheeightbillionpeopleoftheplanetby
2020'.(!)Afurtherreasonforpayingparticularattentiontorelations
withSouthEastAsiaistheEC'smarkedtradedeficitwith
thesecountries .
(2)Forexample,theCommunitymightbenefitconsiderablyfrom
holdingdiscussionswithJapanonjointinitiativesinChina.

NoC249/40 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 13.9.93
dentanddecentralizedbodywhichwillprovideapoint
ofreferenceforresearchers,universities,economic
operatorsandsocio-occupational groups.
9.7.Itwasalsoproposedthata'Europe-Japannews­
paper'bepublishedasavehicleanddebatingforum
forthetwoparties'reflectionsandproposalsandthe
mostimportantstudiespublishedbythespecialistinter­
nationalpress.
9.8.InitsanalysesofEC-Japanrelations,theCom­
mitteehasoftennotedthatwhenviewedinamedium
tolong-termperspectivethesocio-economic and
environmental problemsofthetwoareashavesome
veryinterestingpointsincommon.9.2.Ifouraimistomoveontocloserpolitical
cooperationandjointventureswithourJapanesepart­
ners,wemustfirsttakestepstoimproveourunder­
standingofourrespectivepeoples'cultures,valuesand
aspirations .
9.3.Thiswillmeanlaunchingawide-rangingpro­
grammeofconferences,note-swapping sessionsand
proposalsforresearchontopicsofcommoninterest.
9.4.TheCommissionshouldgettogetherwithits
oppositenumbersinJapanandtakeurgentstepsto
drawupaninventoryofthemanyinitiativesthathave
sprungupspontaneously inallMemberStatesandin
Japanitselfinthefieldsofculture,economiccooper­
ation,tradeandcooperationonresearchinthebroad
sense.
9.5.Onemajorinstanceofcloserculturallinks
betweenEuropeandJapanisthejointinitiativeofthe
Fast/MonitorProgrammeandtheJapanCouncil
onInternationalAffairs,whichhasalreadyheldtwo
conferences .ThefirstofthesetookplaceatNagai,
Japanin1991andthesecondinEsseninMarch1993,
andbothyieldedveryworthwhilepracticalproposals.
9.6.Theproposalsincludedthesetting-upofa
'Euro-JapanInstitute',envisagedasanopen,indepen­9.9.The1991Opinionsuggestedsomepossible
topicsforjointresearch.
9.10.IntandemwiththepresentOpinion,theCom­
mitteehasdrawnupanAppendixoutliningsomekey
topicswhichcouldbeexamined,withaviewtomaking
proposals,byjointcommitteessetupbytheCom­
missionanditsJapaneseoppositenumbers.Thecom­
mitteeswouldcomprisenotonlyofficialrepresentatives
oftherespectivegovernments ,butalsoacademicsand
socio-economic operators.
DoneatBrussels,30June1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN