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

Papers

Nationalism in China and Japan and Implications for Bilateral Relations

27 March 2015

Nationalism appears to be an important part of the growing frictions between China and Japan.

In Japan, the return to power of Shinzo Abe as prime minister, and the historic breakthrough of an extreme right-wing party onto the political scene reinforce the view that there has been a clear shift to the right. Public opinion is today also more realistic about direct security threats to Japan.

Alice EKMAN Céline PAJON

The Asian Century: What International Norms and Practices? Conference Proceedings, 12 September 2014

16 December 2014

Asia is now a nerve center for global economic activity and a theatre of some of the most pressing security concerns of our time. So important has Asia become to global affairs today, and ostensibly for the decades to come, that many have already dubbed the 21st Century as the “Asian Century”.

Françoise NICOLAS Céline PAJON John SEAMAN

Abe’s Japan and Xi’s China: from Cold Peace to Hot War?

01 September 2014

Sino-Japanese relations have deteriorated since Shinzo Abe and Xi Jinping came to power.

Céline PAJON

Papers

Japan-Russia: Toward a Strategic Partnership?

13 September 2013

Do the peace talks between Japan and Russia, reopened in March 2013 by Shinzo Abe and Vladimir Putin, have any chance of success? A window of opportunity has indeed opened for an historic rapprochement between Russia and Japan.

Céline PAJON

Papers

Japan and the South China Sea: Forging Strategic Partnerships in a Divided Region

12 January 2013

In the midst of growing tensions with China, Japan is deepening its strategic engagement in Southeast Asia. Preserving stability in the South China Sea, which is threatened by renewed frictions around contested territories, is a vital interest for sea lane-dependent Japan. Moreover, Tokyo considers Southeast Asian countries as crucial partners in balancing against an increasingly powerful and more assertive China.

Céline PAJON

Studies

Ballistic Missile Defense in Japan: Deterrence and Military Transformation

18 December 2012

In December 2003, Japan decided to be the second country in the Asia-Pacific to deploy a ballistic missile defense (BMD) system.

Céline PAJON

Papers

Crossing the line: A new status quo in the East China Sea?

22 October 2012

The decision of the Japanese Government to purchase a number of the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands from their private owner sparked fury in Beijing. Such spikes of fever between China and Japan are not without precedent. However, the gravity of this latest episode raises the question of whether a point of no return has been reached in the Sino-Japanese relationship.

Céline PAJON

Papers

Understanding the Issue of U.S. Military Bases in Okinawa

21 June 2010

The failure of Prime Minister Hatoyama to transfer the dangerous U.S. military base of Futenma out of Okinawa hastened his resignation, announced on June 2nd.

Céline PAJON

Studies

Japan's Ambivalent Diplomacy on Climate Change

31 May 2010

Japan often pictures itself as an environmental leader. While many examples of Japan’s actions against climate change are in line with global climate change norms, others can be in opposition to them.

Céline PAJON

Papers