Japan as a New Strategic Partner in the Three Seas Initiative: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead (Sayuri Romei, Beata Bochorodycz, Bart Gaens, Anthony B. Kim, Mirna Galic, Akio Miyajima – German Marshall Fund of the United States)

In April 2024, Japan joined the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) as a new strategic partner alongside the United States and the European Union. The 3SI was established in 2015 with the objective of strengthening connectivity and reducing the disparities in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Baltic states. The initiative promotes the development of infrastructure in the energy, transport, and digital sectors in the region surrounded by the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and the Adriatic Sea. The war in Ukraine has highlighted the relevance of this initiative and has underscored the frail infrastructure in the region and CEE’s economic dependence on Russia. As it becomes increasingly clear that the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific regions are inseparable, Japan is compelled to serve as an active partner in the 3SI as its role is also closely connected to the quality of assistance and support to Ukraine.

Japan as a New Strategic Partner in the Three Seas Initiative: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead | German Marshall Fund of the United States