The upcoming ninth edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) presents the latest steps in a journey that began more than 30 years ago. Japan's efforts to strengthen its involvement with Africa in the 1990s were partly attributable to the country's economic situation. The long postwar boom eventually ceased steam, but Japanese institutions built large cash reserves. This has created the perfect moment for Japan to search for new markets.
Meanwhile, Japanese companies did not want to miss out on Africa's economic opportunities, at least in the long run. “We began to realize that if they didn't capture that last frontier, they would be left behind,” says Emma Luiters, a Japanese-Africa relations expert at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
Building relationships with Africa was not easy for Japan. The land of the rising sun is over 8,000 kilometers from the nearest part of Africa. To this day, there are few direct travel links between Japan and the continent. In addition to physical distancing, language and culture differences have complicated efforts to strengthen relationships.
Nevertheless, the TICAD process helped lay the foundation for the growth of Japan-Africa relations. Trade and investment have increased significantly over the last few decades, but Japanese companies are beginning to understand more realistically the opportunities available in Africa.
A modest beginning
The original Ticad, held in October 1993, was a relatively modest gathering. The majority of African delegations were led by the Minister of Finance or Foreign Affairs. A handful of African presidents, including Ghana's Jerry Rawlings, Blaze Compare of Burkina Faso and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, were spurted into Tokyo for the event.
The first Tikad came at a difficult moment for Africa. The continent was tackling many political and economic challenges following the end of the Cold War and the imposition of a “structural adjustment” policy at the request of the International Monetary Fund.
Japanese Prime Minister Machuan pledged to increase aid at Tikad, but he promised that his country's friendship with Africa would expand “beyond mere donor-recipient relationships.” He said Japan was committed to supporting Africa's efforts towards political and economic liberalization. “After World War II, Japan has benefited greatly from generous support from the international community. Now is the time to return this goodwill by taking an active role in supporting Africa.”
Just a few months later, Nishikai himself was banished as prime minister, but his words in Tokyo would set the tone of Japanese-Africa relations that will slowly strengthen over the next 30 years.
Turning Point
The TICAD Summit was initially held every five years, and participation has steadily increased. The 2013 edition was one of the largest international conferences hosted by Japan, attracting 4,500 participants, including 39 African leaders. The event was hosted by Abe Shinzo, the reform prime minister. The TICAD event was then held at three-year intervals, reflecting the increasing importance of Japan-Africa relations.
Kiyohichijima, a professor of international relations at Ritoum Yanikan University in Kyoto, says that a significant “turning point” came in 2016 when Tikad came to Nairobi. This was the first time an event was held in Africa. Before arriving in the Kenya capital, Silat says there was a tendency to have an African “very old-fashioned” view that Japanese business communities assumed were completely lacking in infrastructure and basic skills.
He says his experience visiting Nairobi, one of the continent's most modern and cosmopolitan cities, has helped to change these outdated perceptions. Many Japanese investors were “inspired” by TICAD 6, which can run well in Africa, says Syrath.
“Typical Japanese” approach
The latest TICAD, held in Tunis three years ago, has made Japan commit an additional $30 billion to Africa's development priorities. The finance package included $5 billion in joint loans with the African Development Bank to tackle infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture challenges and $4 billion for the Green Grotting Initiative. Japan has also pledged to train another 300,000 African experts in fields ranging from medicine to government.
Unfortunately, the event was undermined by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's contract with Covid, and he was unable to participate in the summit in person. Instead, Kishida created a virtual address that greatly hinted at international tensions after disrupting grain births to Africa following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“We will work with Africa to overcome the challenges in the region and strongly support Africa's development,” he said. “Japan also learns and grows through its experience. Japan will focus on people and promote its initiative with a typical Japanese approach. It is my hope that Japan will help Africans achieve a resilient Africa through a positive cycle of growth and distribution.
It aims to achieve in itself. ”
Kishida also used the TICAD 8 platform to issue a thinly veiled challenge to China's approach in Africa. The Prime Minister told the meeting that Japan “continues to strongly support Africa's development based on Africa's ownership,” sparking an unspoken contrast with China's suspected practice of locking African countries into dependency.
Kishida missed the Tikad 8, but visited Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique in May 2023. This was the first time the Japanese Prime Minister had since 2014 on a diplomatic tour of Africa with signs of a new focus on Tokyo's new continent.
The progressive growth of Japanese-Africa ties
Amid growing geopolitical competition in Africa, the Japanese initiative to organize the “Africa and 1” summit has since been copied by several other major powers. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has been held for three years since 2000. Since 2019, there have been two Russian and Africa summits. And when Saudi Arabia held its summit in November 2023, it became the latest country to organize gatherings with African leaders.
The US was more unstable in its involvement. The first US African Leader Summit in 2014 will not be repeated until 2022, and there are no known plans for follow-up under President Trump.
The value of partnerships nurtured through TICAD is highlighted by statistics showing that Japan's investment in Africa is steadily rising. According to data from Japan's external trade organizations, foreign direct investment from Japan to Africa has increased significantly since the 2010s. After immersing itself during the Covid pandemic, Japan's net foreign direct investment outflow into Africa reached a record level of $2.5 billion in 2023.
Of course, there's still a lot to do. The trade and investment relationship between Japan and Africa is only a small part of this possibility. In fact, Japanese companies have consistently invested in Singapore rather than in the entire African continent. UNCTAD data shows that Japan is not one of the top 10 sources of foreign direct investment in Africa. With TICAD 9 beginning in Yokohama, the opportunity to unlock the full potential of Japan-Africa relations will come to an end.
