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      • Building the Foundations
      • Welcome Message
      • Board of Governors
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        • Dean’s Office
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        • Distinguished Fellows
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      • Getting to RSIS
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        • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
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        • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
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        • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
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    • The “Indo-Pacific” Concept: Geographical Adjustments and their Implications
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    WP326 | The “Indo-Pacific” Concept: Geographical Adjustments and their Implications
    Wada Haruko

    16 March 2020

    download pdf

    Abstract

    The United States, Australia, Japan, India, France, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and ASEAN have adopted the term “Indo-Pacific” as a policy symbol of regional engagement. However, less attention has been given to the change in the geographical definition of the “Indo-Pacific”. This study examines how these countries have adjusted the geographical scope of “Indo-Pacific” to understand how they conceptualise the region. It finds that the inherent core area of the “Indo-Pacific” is from India to the Southeast Asian countries and the seas from the eastern Indian Ocean to the South China Sea, and that the “Indo-Pacific” has converged eastwards and diverged westwards through the geographical adjustment process. It also found that some of the geographical definitions have an additional function of conveying diplomatic messages. These findings will help us understand how the concept of “Indo-Pacific” as conceptualised by various countries develops.

    About the Author

    Wada Haruko is a Visiting Associate at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. She is an official at Japan’s Ministry of Defense. She received her MA from Ewha Womans University and her BA from Ochanomizu University. The views expressed here are her own and do not represent the views of the Ministry of Defense nor of the government of Japan.

    Categories: Working Papers / International Politics and Security / Maritime Security / East Asia and Asia Pacific / South Asia / Southeast Asia and ASEAN

    Last updated on 17/03/2020

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    Abstract

    The United States, Australia, Japan, India, France, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and ASEAN have adopted the term “Indo-Pacific” as a policy symbol of regional engagement. However, less attention has been given to the change in the geographical definition of the “Indo-Pacific”. This study examines how these countries have adjusted the geographical scope of “Indo-Pacific” to understand how they conceptualise the region. It finds that the inherent core area of the “Indo-Pacific” is from India to the Southeast Asian countries and the seas from the eastern Indian Ocean to the South China Sea, and that the “Indo-Pacific” has converged eastwards and diverged westwards through the geographical adjustment process. It also found that some of the geographical definitions have an additional function of conveying diplomatic messages. These findings will help us understand how the concept of “Indo-Pacific” as conceptualised by various countries develops.

    About the Author

    Wada Haruko is a Visiting Associate at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. She is an official at Japan’s Ministry of Defense. She received her MA from Ewha Womans University and her BA from Ochanomizu University. The views expressed here are her own and do not represent the views of the Ministry of Defense nor of the government of Japan.

    Categories: Working Papers / International Politics and Security / Maritime Security

    Last updated on 17/03/2020

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    Latest Book
    The “Indo-Pacific” Concept: Geographical Adjustments and their Implications

    Abstract

    The United States, Australia, Japan, India, France, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and ASEAN have adopted the term “Indo-Pacific” as a policy symbol of ...
    more info