Against the backdrop of the increasingly challenging international environment today, Japan and the
European Union (EU) agreed to significantly upgrade their existing collaboration through economic
and security partnerships, forming a Security and Defence Partnership, and agreed to deepen security
collaborations in critical areas of mutual concern, including foreign information manipulation and
interference. The Security and Defence Partnership notes that EU and Japan will strengthen
collaboration with the Strategic Communications Education and Research Unit (SCERU) at GraSPP,
established in June 2022 with the support of the “Enhancing EU Security Cooperation in and with
Asia (ESIWA)” project, which is now extended as the ESIWA+ project.
The Security and Defence Partnership Between the EU and Japan announced on 1 November 2024
notes “Japan and the EU welcome the establishment of the Strategic Communications Education and
Research Unit (SCERU) in the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) at the University of
Tokyo, with EU-funded ESIWA’s support, and will explore opportunities for enhanced cooperation
with the Unit.”
This declaration follows an earlier reference to SCERU in the Joint Statement of the Japan-EU
Summit 2023 on July 13, which recognized the establishment of SCERU at GraSPP as a positive
outcome of Japan-Europe cooperation.
“We welcome our cooperation through the EU-funded Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With
Asia (ESIWA) project, and its positive outcomes such as the establishment of the Strategic
Communications Education and Research Unit (SCERU) at the Graduate School of Public Policy
(GraSPP) at the University of Tokyo.”
Click here to view the text of the Security and Defence Partnership Between the EU and Japan, where SCERU and GraSPP are mentioned in Paragraph 17.