Hon Masahiko Koumura

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Date of Birth: 15/03/1942
Place of Birth: Ehime Prefecture

Japan’s Foreign Minister participated in a busy, Africa-focused 2008: the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development on 28-30 May, and the Group of Eight Summit in Hokkaido on 7-9 July.

Koumura graduated from the highly regarded law programme at Chuo University, passing the bar in 1965. He won a seat in the House of Representatives in 1980, where he has served nine terms. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, he has held a number of ministerial posts: Foreign Affairs, Justice and Economic Planning. In August 2007, he was appointed Defence Minister, but that lasted only a month; after Shinzo Abe’s surprise resignation from the Premiership in September, incoming Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda returned Koumura to the Foreign Ministry.

With limited military capacity, Japan sees its development assistance as a major foreign policy tool. It extends aid to over 30 African countries, focusing on sanitation, food aid and infectious diseases. Lately, Japan’s work has been overshadowed by the headline-snatching sums China has been dealing out. This year, Koumura will try to refocus attention on Japan’s long-standing efforts on the continent. At the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama on 28-30 May, he will unveil the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize, a ¥100 million (US$892,000) prize for medical research and services in Africa.