European Commission President von der Leyen said the EU seeks to establish a "competitiveness alliance" with Japan involving joint mining of rare earth elements. "For strategic partners like Europe and Japan, this means bringing our relationship even closer to meet the realities of our time and shape the future," von der Leyen said.
Tokyo and Brussels should "shape global trade and technology rules based on our shared values of fairness and openness," she said. The envisaged Japan-EU alliance would oversee supply chains, especially for critical materials, batteries and semiconductors.
Von der Leyen said the EU would explore investment opportunities with Japan across Europe and said for the first time that there were "strong prospects" for mining cooperation.
