In addition to strengthening engagement, Tokyo aims to reduce the development gap between countries in the Global South – a term for a loose grouping of developing countries – according to Céline Pajon, head of Japan research at the French Institute of International Relations. for Asian and Indo-Pacific Studies in Paris.
Strategic considerations were found during the visits, Pajon said, noting that Japan’s free and open Indo-Pacific plan was particularly relevant to Madagascar given the island’s location in the western Indian Ocean, separated from the African continent by Mozambique Channel.
The 1,700-kilometer (1,100-mile) strategic waterway is mainly used for trade and transportation of energy resources and minerals, but drug trafficking, illegal fishing and piracy have also become problems in recent years.
“Japan thus seeks to strengthen maritime connectivity and security, through investment in the port of Toamasina and the provision of patrol vessels,” Pajon said, referring to Madagascar’s main port. He added that economic security was another key element as the island is rich in natural resources and minerals such as nickel.
In a meeting with Madagascar President Andry Nirina Rajoelina on Sunday, Kamikawa said Japan wanted to contribute to the African country’s economic resilience by improving mineral resource production and boosting urban development. In meetings with senior Ivorian officials later in the week, she stressed the importance Tokyo attaches to the country as a gateway to the French-speaking region of West Africa.
Payon said the minister’s visits were also aimed at laying the groundwork for the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which is to be held in the Japanese port city of Yokohama in August next year.
![Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a virtual address to the eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, held in Tunis in 2022, as seen from the media centre. Photo: Kyodo](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/9115c58d-25fa-40c1-9762-4c4df8c4086c_45ffae75.jpg)
![Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a virtual address to the eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, held in Tunis in 2022, as seen from the media centre. Photo: Kyodo](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/9115c58d-25fa-40c1-9762-4c4df8c4086c_45ffae75.jpg)
Japan’s footprint in Africa
Japan launched TICAD in 1993, becoming the first Asian country to forge closer ties with Africa through an institutional framework, according to Purnendra Jain, an emeritus professor in the University of Adelaide’s Department of Asian Studies who specializes in Japanese studies.
Beijing’s and New Delhi’s efforts – the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the India-Africa Forum Summit – came later by comparison, starting in 2000 and 2008, respectively.
“China’s economic and political influence is enormous, and it is beyond Japan’s ability to match China’s economic support to Africa, nor does it intend to,” said Jain, who is also a visiting senior fellow at the National University of Singapore Institute. of South Asian Studies.
“However, Japan’s approach to Africa has been measured, nuanced and balanced, and Tokyo has engaged many other stakeholders in the TICAD dialogue.”
China-Africa trade to reach US$282 billion in 2023, but Africa’s trade deficit widens
China-Africa trade to reach US$282 billion in 2023, but Africa’s trade deficit widens
Ovigwe Eguegu, a policy analyst at Africa-led international development consultancy Development Reimagined, cited Nigeria and Ivory Coast as examples of Japan’s trade ties with the continent.
The two countries are some of Africa’s biggest importers of Japanese products – mainly vehicles – but Eguegu said Chinese brands such as Sinotruk and Guangzhou Automobile Group had been competing aggressively for more than a decade to gain their own market share.
“Beyond trade, Japan aims to deepen its political and diplomatic footprint in Africa every [when] African countries and the African Union are speaking with a louder voice on the international stage,” he said.
![Passengers disembark from a train at Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station earlier this year on the China-built Lagos-Ibadan Railway. Chinese development loans to Africa have dropped in recent years. Photo: Xinhua](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/c1abf009-fc09-4e1e-a533-39e52c357e34_69875011.jpg)
![Passengers disembark from a train at Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station earlier this year on the China-built Lagos-Ibadan Railway. Chinese development loans to Africa have dropped in recent years. Photo: Xinhua](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/c1abf009-fc09-4e1e-a533-39e52c357e34_69875011.jpg)
“China is a huge player in Africa … However, its economic engagement has decreased since the late 2010s. The Japanese government wants to emerge as a stable partner,” Takeuchi said.
Chinese loans to Africa fell to US$2.22 billion in 2021-2022, according to data compiled by Boston University’s Center for Global Policy Development and reported in September, from a peak of more than US$28 billion in 2016 .
Renewed focus on South Asia
As China continues to expand its regional footprint, Japan is also seeking to expand trade and other areas of cooperation with Sri Lanka and Nepal.
During her trip to Sri Lanka on Saturday and Sunday, Kamikawa was expected to pay a courtesy call on President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
The Indian Ocean island nation is a key part of Japan’s Indo-Pacific strategy, and Pajon said Colombo is expected to continue to seek help from Tokyo to ease its heavy debt burden.
“Japan has played a key role, along with France and India, in helping to restructure Sri Lanka’s debt while providing grants to support the country,” he said. “A debt recovery will allow Japan to resume its loans on Sri Lanka’s port infrastructure and more.”
![Sri Lankan capital Colombo seen at sunset last month. Japan has been playing a key role in restructuring Sri Lanka’s heavy debt burden, observers say. Photo: AFP](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/77bb20ae-edb6-4179-8d50-deb5a85d747b_4698a46a.jpg)
![Sri Lankan capital Colombo seen at sunset last month. Japan has been playing a key role in restructuring Sri Lanka’s heavy debt burden, observers say. Photo: AFP](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/77bb20ae-edb6-4179-8d50-deb5a85d747b_4698a46a.jpg)
In a move aimed at advancing Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring negotiations, Japan joined India and France last April in launching an initiative that saw the start of a series of meetings between the island nation’s creditors. The debt restructuring deal was reportedly reached in November.
Historically, Japan and Sri Lanka have had strong relations, but these were put to the test when former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa upset Tokyo by unilaterally scrapping several Japanese-funded projects, Jain said.
Therefore, Kamikawa’s trip to Colombo could become a platform to restore the ties of both countries.
Tokyo would ideally like to help Sri Lanka and Nepal strike a balance so they don’t feel overwhelmed by a great power rivalry between China and India
Her stop in Nepal on Sunday, meanwhile, is expected to see Kamikawa unveil plans for Japan to play a bigger role in Nepal’s economic and social development.
“Japan’s balancing act in Nepal is important, so China’s presence does not become overwhelming,” Jain said.
Nepal was once known for high quality tourism. Now, he wants his crown back
Nepal was once known for high quality tourism. Now, he wants his crown back
Japan was not just seeking to act as a counterweight to China, but also to offer South Asia an alternative to India, Jain said.
“Tokyo would ideally like to help Sri Lanka and Nepal strike a balance so that they don’t feel overwhelmed by a big rivalry between China and India, who have a dominant influence in Nepal,” he said.