17/03/2023
Japan has recently stepped up its engagement with the Pacific Island Countries (PICs), building on its historical ties and strategic interests in the region.
Japan
As the international system undergoes a major overhaul, Japan is emerging as one pillar of the multilateral rules-based order. Despite being often perceived as a declining country, it remains the world's third largest economy and, as a member of the RCEP, CP-TPP and the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, plays a key role in trade liberalization and norms shaping. In recent years, Tokyo has also demonstrated a proactive diplomacy, especially in the Indo-Pacific area where it is one of the core stakeholders. In this regard, Japan has become a major partner for Europe and for France.
Through its research activities, Ifri's Center for Asian Studies aims to provide a better understanding of Japan's action in the world and to foster the dialogue and cooperation between France and Japan.
Françoise NICOLAS
Senior Research Fellow and Director of Ifri's Center for Asian Studies
...
Céline PAJON
Research Fellow,
...
John SEAMAN
Research Fellow, Center for Asian Studies
...
Claude MEYER
Senior Advisor, Center for Asian Studies
... 
20/01/2023
In the current tumultuous geopolitical setting, Tokyo may have a very specific, stabilizing role to play.
16/09/2022
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...
18/05/2022
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...
11/05/2022
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...
11/04/2022
The war in Ukraine has led to a major rift between Japan and Russia.
14/10/2021
On December 18, 2018, the Japanese government issued its latest National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG), marking another step in Japan’s defense planning and the readiness of the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF).
29/09/2021
For anyone who still harbored doubts, Washington made crystal clear from the announcement of the new trilateral alliance with Australia and the UK (AUKUS) that countering China is its number one priority, and that it will do whatever it takes to succeed. Much has been said about the...
Americas - United States - Asia - Southeast Asia - China - Japan - Korean Peninsula - Indo-Pacific Strategies - Europe
22/09/2021
The announcement of the new AUKUS alliance between Australia, the UK and the U.S. came as a shock for France.
Asia - China - Japan - Pacific Islands
16/09/2021
A Region of Flashpoints? Security in the Indo-Pacific CSDS Policy Brief, 15/2021, September 16, 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.
17
Mar
2023
from 09:30 to 11:00
- Videoconferences
Japan as an Upgraded Strategic Player: What Implications for the Indopacific and the Cooperation with France? Webinaire
In December 2022, Japan updated its national security and defense strategies, marking a major shift in its capacity and willingness to act as a strategic player on the international scene.
30
Jan
2023
from 09:30 to 11:00
- Videoconferences
Is the UN Security Council still relevant? France and Japan's views on the future of multilateralism Webinaire
The war in Ukraine exemplified the limitations of the UN Security Council (UNSC), as this key institution was not able to efficiently act for the maintenance of international peace and security.
10
Nov
2022
from 09:30 to 11:00
- Videoconferences
After TICAD 8 - COVID, war in Ukraine and the cooperation with Africa: Views from Japan and France Webinar
The TICAD 8 – the 8th edition of the Japan-Africa Summit – was held on 27-28 August 2022 in Tunis.
22
Sep
2022
from 09:00 to 17:00
- Conférences
Asia after the War in Ukraine: Re-imagining multilateralism and the risk of high-intensity conflict Hybrid Conference
Annual conference of Ifri's Center for Asian Studies. The war in Ukraine has marked the return of high-intensity conflict in Europe and represents a profound, structural shift in the region’s strategic environment. It also takes place against a backdrop of a decades-long...
07
Jul
2022
from 09:30 to 11:00
- Seminars and Round-table Conferences
Critical minerals: How to secure stable and resilient supply chains? Views from Europe and Japan Webinar
The war in Ukraine has highlighted once again the importance that stable supplies of critical raw materials play in building resilient supply chains.
15
Jun
2022
from 09:30 to 11:00
- Videoconferences
How the war in Ukraine affects strategic foresight? Visions from France and Japan
The Russian aggression in Ukraine took most experts and policymakers by surprise and raised questions about the methodology of strategic planning and foresight.
29
Mar
2022
from 09:30 to 11:00
- Videoconferences
Strategic autonomy and industrial policy: Perspectives from France, the EU and Japan
Building up a more sovereign Europe is one of the three main ambitions for the French Presidency of the EU.
22
Feb
2022
from 17:30 to 19:00
- Videoconferences
Conference with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India Ifri Conferences
How India sees France. A conference with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India.
18
Jan
2022
from 09:30 to 11:00
- Videoconferences
The CPTPP and UK’s accession: What global implications?
The UK is the first State which formally applied to join the CPTPP. Its bid was accepted in early June.
09
Nov
2021
from Tuesday 9 November 2021 09:15 to Wednesday 10 November 2021 12:30
- Videoconferences
East Asia’s Evolving Economic Order: Toward Cohesion or Fragmentation? Videoconference
The era of hyper globalization is now transforming into an age of geoeconomics, where trade and economic relations are increasingly conditioned by national security concerns. What impact will this shift have on the regional trade architecture and economic strategies in East Asia? <...>
Economy - Asia - Southeast Asia - China - Japan - Korean Peninsula - Taïwan - Indo-Pacific Strategies
11/05/2023
While the impact of Kishida’s tour is ‘marginal, it can still send ‘a message of solidarity’ that it intends to take the continent’s concerns seriously. Getting the African countries to take active measures against Russia will be difficult if they are not offered strong incentives in exchange,...
12/04/2023
More realistic posture would strengthen Paris' role in Indo-Pacific region
11/04/2023
One of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s top goals for next month’s Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima is to create a united front on issues like China and Ukraine. But finding a unified approach to dealing with Beijing’s assertiveness might have just become harder.<...>
14/03/2023
Recent US military activity in the Asia-Pacific is on the rise, including drills in the Philippines and South Korea as well as a submarine deal struck between the US and Australia. China has, meanwhile, accused the US of encircling the country. FRANCE 24 speaks with an expert to shed light on...
Americas - United States - Asia - China - Japan - Korean Peninsula - Taïwan - Europe
02/10/2022
Japan has been investing in the continent for longer than China and applies international standards to its infrastructure financing, analysts said. Its pockets may not be as deep, but its support of good governance and democratic principles makes it a tempting development partner for...
04/09/2022
Japan, which began developmental programmes in the 1990s, has been eclipsed in recent years by China, now Africa’s leading trade partner.Pledge to invest US$30 billion on the continent includes a focus on training Africans to run their economy.
28/06/2022
When Prime Minister Fumio Kishida becomes the first Japanese leader to attend a NATO leaders summit on Wednesday, he’ll be looking to stress the need for unity in preventing China from taking the “wrong lessons” from the Ukraine war as the bloc looks to expand its footprint in the Indo-Pacific...
13/04/2022
An interview with Kazuto SUZUKI, Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo.
30/09/2021
The United States is the linchpin of Taiwan’s security. Under Donald Trump’s presidency, as tensions with the People’s Republic of China grew, the US increasingly took steps to signal...
Asia - China - Japan - Pacific Islands - Taïwan
18/05/2021
Alarmed by China’s rising power, its frictions with neighboring countries in the East and South China seas, allegations of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region and crackdowns in Hong Kong, European countries are seeking to step up their involvement in the Indo-Pacific region.