The Dynamics of EU-Japan Relations in the Indo-Pacific

This book evaluates the deepening accord the EU and Japan hold in the Indo-Pacific region in terms of security, economy, and values.

Focusing on the contemporary period after Japan and the EU signed Strategic and Economic Partnership Agreements in 2018, the book analyses both general outlooks and world visions of the two, and the practical programmes and initiatives in the Indo-Pacific through which these are achieved. By exploring both actors’ perception of the Indo-Pacific in historical, intellectual, and political contexts, and their contemporary political interests within security, environmental, and economic dimensions, the book demonstrates how closely the duo’s roles in the region are connected.

Revealing the changing contours of the EU-Japan partnership in the Indo-Pacific, this will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of geopolitics, economic geography, and international relations, particularly of Japan, the EU, and the Indo-Pacific.

Michal Kolmaš is Associate Professor in the Department of Asian Studies, Metropolitan University Prague, and also Editor-in-Chief of the Czech Journal of International Relations (CJIR) and Associate Editor of the Journal of International Relations and Development (JIRD). Previously, he was a visiting fellow at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. He focuses on Japanese foreign policy, social norms, and environmental politics.

Patrik Ström is Director of the European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS) and the Center for Asian Studies (CAS) at the Stockholm School of Economics. His research examines the development of advanced service industries and the transformation towards service- and knowledge-based economies, including the green transition. His regional focus includes Japan, South Korea, China, and emerging East Asian markets, as well as the EU Single Market.