EU eyes security, defense partnerships with Japan and South Korea

The European Union is seeking security and defense partnerships with Japan and South Korea, a move that could lead to broader joint development project in the defense industry, Report informs via Nikkei.

The security environment in Europe and Asia is changing dramatically, a senior European Commission official told Nikkei. We hope to develop partnerships with Japan and South Korea to work more closely together.

Brussels aims to a ministerial-level agreement with Japan by the end of the year.

The move comes as Europe and Asia see their security challenges start to align. Russia and North Korea on Wednesday agreed on a "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty" that includes mutual military support in times of crisis.

Brussels has security and defense partnerships with non-EU member countries like Norway. Setting up a similar partnership with Asian countries would be a first.

Japan and the EU have common challenges such as relatively small national defense industries, high costs for research and development and production, and a dependence on U.S. contractors.