Japan and the European Union have had difficulty launching a joint study on a free-trade deal, with analysts pointing out that Japan's market appears less promising than other Asian economies.
However, the two sides are still thought to have many common interests in promoting free and open trade and investment around the world, including the shared interest of presenting a united front against China's protectionist measures.
Tokyo has at every opportunity, including the annual Japan-EU summit, been proposing starting a joint study to explore pathways to future talks on an FTA.