EU-Japan: Ready for a new stage in relations?

Berkofsky is an expert on EU-Japan relations, Japanese domestic and foreign policies and, more generally, Asian politics and security. He worked as Research Associate at the German Institute for Japanese Studies and as freelance journalist for the Asahi Evening News and Daily Yomiuri Shimbun in Tokyo.

Okuyama pursued a diplomatic career at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), where he worked in the Southeast Asia Division as Principal Deputy Director and in the Multilateral Cooperation Division as Director. He held several positions overseas, including the United Kingdom, Iran, the US and the Philippines.

Mauro Petriccione worked extensively on EU trade policy before joining the Directorate-General for Climate Action, covering a wide range of activities and negotiations, from trade and standards, to defence, investment, competition and dispute settlement, as well as relations with member states and European institutions. He was the deputy director-general for trade, responsible for trade relations with Asia, Latin America and countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Petriccione also served as chief negotiator for the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.

Sabathil is Guest Professor at the Economic University of Prague and at the College of Europe in Bruges. He was previously Director of Foreign Policy Strategy and Coordination for the former Directorate General for External Relations.

Tada is Director of the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIR) and a well-known opinion maker in Washigton, where he has worked for 12 years as General Manager of Sojitz Corporation of America. He was Chairman of the Japan Business Federation and of the Committee on Americas-Japan Relations at the Japan Association of Corporate Executives.

Tanaka has been involved in the EU-Japan negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), particularly within the Economic Partnership Division of METI. He held several positions at the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), including director of Trade Policy and WTO Affairs. He was also seconded to the Japan Machinery Center for Trade and Investment in Brussels.

Before her current appointment as second-ever woman to hold the post of head of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva was the first CEO of the World Bank, during which time she also served as Interim President of the World Bank Group. Previously, she served as EU Commission Vice President for Budget and Human Resource, where she was involved in tackling the Euro Area debt crisis and the 2015 refugee crisis. She also worked as EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, managing one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid budgets. Prior to her time at the EU, Georgieva worked for 17 years at the World Bank.

Bataclan has a long-standing career in the Philippino diplomatic service. She has been Ambassador to several European countries and to Hong Kong. The Philippines have gained extensive experience in disaster management, in particular after super Typhoon Hayian hit the country November 2013.

Akiko Fukushima is a leading expert in Japanese foreign policy and aid. Her previous academic roles include working as Director of Policy Studies at the National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA), Professor at Aoyama Gakuin University, and Senior Fellow at the Japan Foundation. Fukushima has also served on Japanese government committees including Prime Minister Shinzō Abe’s Advisory Council on National Security and Defense Capabilities. She has published numerous books and chapters, including on human security, peacebuilding and Japan’s role in institution-building.

Hashimoto started his career as a journalist, covering the movements for independence of the Baltic countries and Georgia, the Gulf War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. He is an expert in Balkans issues, having worked at the Japanese Embassy in Austria as a special assistant for Balkans, and at the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo as a political adviser.

Patrick Simonnet is Deputy Head of Unit for International Development Dialogue, which tackles development issues within several international frameworks. He has engaged with Japan in a development policy dialogue in order to forge synergies based on shared values.

Söderberg is an expert on Japanese foreign policy and development aid. She is also Senior Editor at Routledge (London), which publishes international book series on East Asian Economics and Business. She worked as foreign correspondent in Tokyo for the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.