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

Press

Memos

A Green-Blue Alliance in Motion: Pacific Island Countries and Europe Fighting Climate Change

17 October 2022

The Pacific Islands Countries (PICs) were the first to ratify the Paris climate agreement in 2015. Indeed, for them, climate change has had very concrete implications for years. Islanders have seen the sea level rising, endangering the very existence of atolls. They have also experienced increasingly violent cyclones and other natural disasters, and must deal with multiple impacts of a changing climate on their everyday lives

Céline PAJON

24th March 2022, Fumio Kishida, Japanese Prime Minister, during NATO's extraordinary Summit. BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

Japan’s Africa policy: Back to basics in times of crisis

16 September 2022

Addressing remotely the 8th Japan-Africa TICAD Summit held in Tunis between August 27th and 28th, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged $30 billion in public and private contributions to the African continent over the course of the next three years. This is a quite a remarkable move, as no specific amount was mentioned by the late Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe, at the previous TICAD 7 in 2019. By doing so, Japan aims at demonstrating that its commitment to Africa is solid and sustainable: its traditional approach towards a human-centered development is more relevant than ever in these times of crisis (between the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the adverse effects of climate change), and clearly marks a difference from China’s practices.

Céline PAJON

Memos

Building Bridges over the Blue Pacific. Beyond Marine Protected Areas – A Europe-Oceania Cooperation

22 July 2022

The “new scramble for the Pacific” is characterized by a race for the control of maritime space and resources, oscillating between ocean grabbing and ocean commoning.

Céline PAJON

Japan steps up its Africa engagement

18 May 2022

Laying the foundation for the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi held talks on 28 March 2022 with ministers from 50 African nations. Hayashi expressed concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine had increased the economic and social vulnerabilities of African countries — deepening their dependence on China. He subsequently committed to increase Japan’s cooperation with Africa.

Céline PAJON

Rapprochement in Times of Crisis: War in Ukraine and the EU-Japan Partnership

11 May 2022

The war in Ukraine has shaken the foundations of European security and of the global rules-based order. In many ways, Russia’s aggression has been a wake-up call for the EU, adding a sense of urgency to its ongoing transformation to becoming a stronger geopolitical actor, materialised by the recent publication of its Strategic Compass – its first-ever white paper for security and defence.

Céline PAJON Eva PEJSOVA

Memos

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

21 April 2022

In recent years, France and the European Union (EU) have published their respective Indo-Pacific strategies and a Ministerial Forum was held in Paris on February 22, 2022, bringing together over 60 foreign affairs ministers from European and Pacific Island countries.

Céline PAJON

Credits: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Japan-Russia: The end of delusions

11 April 2022

The war in Ukraine has led to a major rift between Japan and Russia.

Céline PAJON

Mission Jeanne d'Arc 2021 © French Ministry of Armed Forces

AUKUS, the Indo-Pacific, and France’s Role: Fluctuat Nec Mergitur

22 September 2021

The announcement of the new AUKUS alliance between Australia, the UK and the U.S. came as a shock for France.

Céline PAJON

External Book Chapters

France: the leading European power in the Indo-Pacific

16 September 2021

In May 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech at the Garden Island Naval Base in Sydney, Australia, where he outlined a French strategy for the Indo-Pacific. With this speech, France formally positioned itself as an ‘Indo-Pacific power’ and became the first European country to adopt the concept as a regional framework. France’s approach to the region reflects unique sensitivities. It has also been the driving force for broader European engagement with the Indo-Pacific.

Céline PAJON

External Articles

A Region of Flashpoints? Security in the Indo-Pacific

16 September 2021

The Indo-Pacific mega-region is home to the world’s most fluid, complex, and dangerous security environment. Lingering traditional security flashpoints (Taiwan Strait, North Korea, territorial disputes) are exacerbated by the rise of China and the US–China great power competition.

Céline PAJON Eva PEJSOVA