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.

• 1. Introduction: EU, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific 2. The European Union and the Indo-Pacific: From bystander to upstander 3. Roots of the Indo-Pacific in Japanese Thinking 4. European Naval Deployments to the Indo-Pacific – From Distant Bystander to Protagonist with a (Naval) Punch? 5. The Nexus of Security and Renewable Energy: Implications for EU-Japan Cooperation 6. Has the Concept of Comprehensive Security been killed by Geopolitical Changes? 7. Japan’s bilateral strategic partnership diplomacy – Going beyond the US alliance 8. EU and Japan’s security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific within the EPA and SPA framework – Beacon of liberal institutionalism or neo-realist defence project? 9. Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy: Security, Economic Statecraft, and Regional Reception 10. Japan’s Pivot to the Indo-Pacific 11. EU-Okinawa Paradiplomacy: Decentering regional engagement initiatives 12. Conclusion: Future Research and Policy Directions