Today is Europe Day, marking the day in 1950 when then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman laid out a vision for post-war Europe that was to form the basis of the integrated Europe we know today.
I have just returned from Brussels, where I attended this year's EU-Japan Summit. It was the final stop — and fitting culmination — for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's 10-day sweep of Europe during the Golden Week break.
For a few years now, leaders of the EU and Japan have been working to bring the bilateral relationship to a higher level to realize its unfulfilled potential, delivering benefits for all our citizens. I believe this is increasingly becoming a reality. Europe and Japan not only share and uphold values and principles such as democracy, human rights and a rules-based and peaceful world order; we are also stepping up tangible cooperation in areas ranging from trade and investment, to defense and security to innovation and people-to-people exchanges.