European Engagement in the Maritime Security in Indo-Pacific: a Japanese Perspective

Since a 2010 incident of Chinese fishing vessels colliding into the Japan Coast Guard’s ships, China’s activities around the Senkaku Islands and the broader East China Sea only grew more aggressive and more frequent. Facing increasing pressure from China in the East China Sea, Japan welcomes greater European engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

In her paper, Yuki Tatsumi (The Stimson Center) argues that Japan primarily considers Europe a diplomatic and strategic partner to help maintain a value-based liberal international order in the Indo-Pacific region.

Japan hopes that greater activity in the region by European countries would raise the stakes for China if it continues its aggressive behavior in the region, thereby deterring Beijing in non-confrontational ways.  

This is the third of seven papers in the HCSS Guarding the Commons series, edited by Paul van Hooft and Tim Sweijs, and is part of the new HCSS “Europe in the Indo-Pacific Hub (EIPH)”. More papers will follow in the coming weeks.  

Read the complete paper series here:

• Thucydides Lives in Asia: Power Transition Traps Are Real, by Patrick Porter (University of Birmingham)
• Between AUKUS and the Quad: Scaling European Interest in the Indo-Pacific, by Jagannath Panda (Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses)
• European Engagement in the Maritime Security in Indo-Pacific: a Japanese Perspective, by Yuki Tatsumi (The Stimson Center)
• Getting Real about the Indo-Pacific: Redefining European Approach to Maritime Security, by Frédéric Grare (European Council on Foreign Affairs – ECFR) and Mélissa Levaillant (Institute of Higher National Defence Studies)
• Multilateralizing Maritime Cooperation in East Asia: South Korea’s Cautious but Delayed Response, by Kuyoun Chung (Kangwon National University)
• It started with a ship… What role for Germany in the Indo Pacific’s security architecture?, by Johannes Peters (Head of Center for Maritime Strategy & Security at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University (ISPK))
• Multilateralizing Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific: How Europe can contribute to regional deterrence, by Stephan Frühling (Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University)