Prénom de l'expert

Céline

Nom de l'expert

PAJON

Research Fellow, Head of Japan and Indo-Pacific Research, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri

Research Areas:

Japanese foreign and defense policy
International relations and geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific
French and European approaches to the Indo-Pacific and Pacific Islands
Maritime security in the Indo-Pacific

Center for Asian Studies

Celine Pajon is Head of Japan and Indo-Pacific Research in Ifri’s Center for Asian Studies, which he joined in 2008. She also coordinates the research program on Pacific Islands, set up in 2022. Céline is a Senior Researcher with the Japan Chair at Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB) and an International Research Fellow with the Canon Institute for Global Studies (CIGS) in Tokyo. In 2016, she was a visiting researcher at JIIA, the Japan Institute of International Affairs, the think tank of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A graduate from the Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and Sciences Po Lyon, Céline also studied for two years in Japan, at Waseda University (Tokyo) and Osaka University. She tweets @CelinePajon.

Flagship Publications

Studies

October 2023

France in the Indo-Pacific: The Need for a Pragmatic Strategic Posture

France-led Multilateral exercise La Pérouse

Jérémy BACHELIER Céline PAJON

July 2023

France's IndoPacific Strategy: From a Balancing Power to a Constructive Stakeholder

Céline PAJON

Papers

March 2023

Japan and the Pacific Islands Countries. Longstanding Strategic Interests, Recent Strategic Engagement

Tongan people greeting the Japanese destroyer Osumi arriving to deliver relief supplies after the volcanic eruption and tsunami of January 2022. © Embassy of Japan in Tonga

Céline PAJON

Memos

April 2022

Two Shades of Blue: Europe and the Pacific Islands, Strategic Partners in the Indo-Pacific Era

Crédits: Montage réalisé par l’Ifri © Shutterstock

Céline PAJON

Support independent French research

Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2024, Ifri will support more than 70 French and foreign companies and organizations.

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Analysis from Céline PAJON

Publications

EU-Japan Relations: Moving Forward

25 May 2021

EU-Japan relations have undergone a major uplift over the past 5 years. Bound by the Economic and Strategic Partnership Agreements, as well as the Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity, the two once-distant players have been stepping up efforts to address the many shared security concerns in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Ahead of the upcoming EU-Japan summit, this Policy Brief takes stock of the current state of play and offers some food for thought on how to move forward with the bilateral relationship.

Céline PAJON Eva PEJSOVA

Emmanuel Macron and Malcolm Turnbull Credits: Embassy of France in Australia

France’s strategic engagement in the Indo-Pacific makes a difference: Here is why

09 April 2021

Let’s face it: while there are growing expectations for a French and European enhanced engagement in the Indo-Pacific, when Europeans step up their commitment, or express their willingness to do so, they are often met with disdain, on the ground that they would not make a big difference in front of China. Is that really so?

Céline PAJON

External Articles

The EU-Japan partnership in the Indo-Pacific: opportunities and challenges

12 March 2021

This paper analyses the common and divergent interests of Japan and the EU in the Indo-Pacific and identifies the most promising areas for cooperation.

Céline PAJON

France’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Quad Plus

09 February 2021

In France, the launch of the Quad Plus raised little attention.

Céline PAJON

Papers

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo addresses TICAD VI

Japan’s Economic Diplomacy in Africa: Between Strategic Priorities and Local Realities

22 December 2020

During his term in office (2012-2020), Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to demonstrate Japan's high level of interest in Africa, including by pledging a total of $ 60 billion in financial support at the 2013 and 2016 Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) summits and announcing his vision for a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) at the TICAD-VI in Nairobi.

Céline PAJON

External Articles

What Would Suga’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Look Like?

05 October 2020

With the resignation of Prime Minister Abe, the future of Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy has been called into question. Abe was indeed one of the key architects of this vision and he devoted enormous energy to flesh it out.

Céline PAJON

External Articles

Japan in the 2019 G20 and G7 Summits: A Key Partner for Europe?

15 May 2020

This essay offers a general assessment of Japan’s performance in the 2019 G20 and G7 Summits, held respectively in Osaka, Japan and Biarritz, France and looks at how Tokyo coordinated with its European partners (The European Union (EU) institutions and the EU Member States) in these international settings.

Céline PAJON

Studies

East Asia Security in Flux. What Regional Order Ahead?

07 May 2020

In February 2020, the Ifri Center for Asian Studies and the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) held a conference on the Asian security environment.

Céline PAJON Masashi NISHIHARA

External Articles

Japan’s Indo-Pacific Strategy: Shaping a Hybrid Regional Order

19 December 2019

What does Japan want in the Indo-Pacific? It can be tough to tell, because at the moment, Tokyo seems to be pursuing incompatible aims.

Céline PAJON

External Articles

Japan in South East Asia: Looking for a Balanced Indo-Pacific

12 December 2019

South East Asia is an area of utmost importance for Japan’s economic, political and security interests, amounting to “a core strategic interest” for Tokyo.

Céline PAJON