The EU and Japan regularly discuss topics like energy security and liquefied natural gas (LNG), the clean energy transition, hydrogen, electricity market design, energy technologies and nuclear energy.
As 2 of the largest global importers of LNG, the EU and Japan agreed, in July 2023, to establish an energy security dialogue on global LNG architecture. It aims to step-up cooperation and develop secure and transparent global markets, while reducing methane emissions in line with the Global Methane Pledge. In October 2024, Japan and the EU announced their LNG importers’ initiative alliance for methane mitigation from the LNG value chain at the LNG-Producer Consumer Conference.
Events and meetings
On 16 September 2025, the EU-Japan Energy Dialogue took place.
The topics discussed included cooperation on the clean energy transition, including the establishment of resilient and reliable supply chains, as well as possible cooperation on natural gas/LNG, hydrogen, the reduction of methane emissions, and nuclear power including small modular reactors.
The dialogue followed up on the 30th EU-Japan Summit held in July 2025, and the announcement of the EU-Japan Competitiveness Alliance.
In June 2024, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ken Saito and EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson held a High-Level Hydrogen Business Forum in Tokyo to deepen their cooperation regarding hydrogen business and technology development in the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation on Hydrogen, signed on 2 December 2022 by Commissioner Simson during her visit to Japan.
In 2023, bilateral relations were prominently focused on the agenda of the EU-Japan Summit, where leaders agreed to step-up joint work on the energy and green transitions and welcomed the Memorandum of Cooperation on Hydrogen.
Several EU-Japan workshops were organised over the past years too. For example, on hydrogen and wind energy and to implement the Memorandum of Cooperation in 2017, the Commission and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry co-organised a series of international workshops on key drivers.
Memorandum of Cooperation
On 2 December 2022, the EU and Japan intensified their cooperation on hydrogen with the signature of a Memorandum of Cooperation to spur innovation and develop an international hydrogen market. As frontrunners in hydrogen technology, the EU and Japan are working together to support the sustainable and affordable production, trade, transport, storage, distribution and use of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen.
- News: EU-Japan Energy Dialogue 2025: advancing partnership on the clean energy transition and security of supply (17/9/2025)
- Statement: Joint Press Statement by Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ken Saito and the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson (3/6/2024)
- News: EU and Japan to reinforce energy cooperation through a dedicated dialogue on global LNG architecture (18/7/2023)
- News: The EU and Japan underline close cooperation on energy issues (25/03/2022)
- Liquefied Natural Gas
- News: The EU and Japan commit to a new Green Alliance to work towards climate neutrality (27/05/2021)