2026/03/05 by Paul Bacon, Axel A Julsrud · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Global Security and Public Health #International Relations and Foreign Policy #Maritime Security and History
paper · doi:10.1093/ia/iiag046
openalex publication_date 2026/03/05 · openalex created_date 2026/07/09 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract This article examines the reception by Japanese experts of the European Union's security narratives in the Indo-Pacific through the lens of strategic narrative theory. It engages directly with a core theme of the special section by adopting a decentring perspective and studying external perceptions of EU narratives. It investigates role perception outside Europe through this outside–in approach, and it argues that important perception gaps emerge as the EU seeks to communicate its roles to Japan as a maritime security provider and as an economic security actor. The article also looks at Japan's agency as a security actor and producer of security narratives. The country has its own sense of a state of permanent emergency concerning the severe economic and military challenges posed by China and others. This conditions the reception in Japan of EU narratives, and Japanese perceptions of the relevance of the EU as a security actor are benchmarked against these challenges. The EU's narrative on trade in the region has transformed from an emphasis on inclusiveness to a focus on economic security and resilience. The EU's reflexivity in this regard offers potential for greater narrative alignment and policy coherence with Japan, whereas the perception gap between the two sides on maritime security is more fundamental and likely to be enduring. The best way for the EU to mitigate such perception gaps in the region is to focus its strategic communication on key bilateral partnerships and issue-specific strategic documents, rather than on the regional approach reflected in its Indo-Pacific Strategy.