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The EU-Japan economic partnership agreement in Japanese print media: a “cars-for-cheese deal” or “the black ships of European cheese”?

Author

Listed:
  • Tine Walravens

    (ReD Associates)

  • Ivar Padrón-Hernández

    (Institute of Innovation Research, Hitotsubashi University)

Abstract

The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EJEPA) entered into force on February 1st, 2019. The agreement was quickly coined the “cars-for-cheese deal”: Agri-food seemed to be the largest winner on the European side while Japan stood to gain most from automotive exports. Up until the final negotiations, however, agri-food was a major stumbling block. Through a qualitative content analysis of EJEPA coverage in five Japanese newspapers with different political and industry profiles, this article examines media treatment of food as a controversial part of the EJEPA. While narratives differed depending on political and industry leanings, we find that the perceived threat from the EJEPA regarding food was often placed within a larger social imagery of a new global order and disadvantageous trade deals, through a conflation with the recently established Trans-Pacific Partnership and its widely reported impact on agriculture. Lastly, beyond a strongly defensive or even victimized narrative in some specialized media, mainstream newspapers also divert attention toward the potential opportunities the EJEPA brings to Japanese exporters and manufacturers.

Suggested Citation

  • Tine Walravens & Ivar Padrón-Hernández, 2025. "The EU-Japan economic partnership agreement in Japanese print media: a “cars-for-cheese deal” or “the black ships of European cheese”?," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 1-22, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:asiaeu:v:23:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s10308-025-00715-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10308-025-00715-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hanns Günther Hilpert, 2018. "The Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement—economic potentials and policy perspectives," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 439-447, December.
    2. Claes G. Alvstam & Erja Kettunen, 2019. "The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement: Second Best Option or New Generation of Preferential Trade Arrangements?," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 20(02), pages 3-9, July.
    3. Hidetaka Yoshimatsu, 2020. "The EU-Japan free trade agreement in evolving global trade politics," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 429-443, December.
    4. Davis, Eric & Sabala, Ethan & Russell, Dylan & Beckman, Jayson, 2023. "The Impact of Recent Trade Agreements on Japan’s Pork Market," Economic Research Report 338952, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    5. Chae-Deug Yi, 2022. "The impact of the Japan-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement on the trade and income of Japan, the European Union, and South Korea," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 329-356, September.
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