Japan

Sadako Ogata, President of the newly reorganised Japan International Cooperation Agency, says that the JICA is now the best funded national development agency in the world. Her job,...

Japan is increasing its diplomatic presence in southern Africa following the successful Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) IV in May. Until this year, Japan’s Embassy in...

Just a day after he was elected by the Diet, Japan's new Prime Minister Taro Aso flew to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly. Although he does...

Japanese companies in Africa are struggling to increase their market share against pressure from Chinese and Western firms, a new survey by the Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO) has found. Some...

Japan would honour its promises to increase aid and investment in Africa despite the departure of Prime Miniter Yasuo Fukuda, said Foreign Minister Shintaro Ito during a trip to Kenya this...

As long as it lasts, the diamond boom may help Japanese companies. They are well placed to take advantage of the decision by state diamond company Endiama that more than...

Until public protests over Darfur two years ago, Japan was one of the biggest customers for Sudanese oil. But unlike China and India it had no direct investments in Sudan's...

Tokyo's careful diplomacy ahead of the Hokkaido G8 summit the 7-9 July now faces its biggest test among African states: how can Japan explain its stance at the next round...

In many ways, the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama on 28-30 May was a dry run for Tokyo's Group of 8 summit in Hokkaido...

Behind the Yokohama summit scenery, Japanese civil servants continued with their reorganisation. Key to this is the Japan International Cooperation Agency under its President, Sadako Ogata, the driving force behind the...

From now on, Japan's non-governmental organisations will operate more like British NGOs such as Oxfam and Christian Aid, which manage substantial state aid funds. Local NGOs were barely represented at...

Japan is launching major changes in its diplomatic and development strategy this year, coinciding with Yokohama's hosting of the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) from...

Before 1998, Japanese voters would have had some difficuty in identifying any difference in Africa policy among the three main parties. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ, Minshutu) admits that even...

Masato Kitera is a typical example of the dependable civil servants that Japan has assigned to its Africa projects in advance of TICAD IV, to be held in...

With just a month to go before the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) on 28-30 May, the Japanese hosts are busily firming proposals that will both...

As the man responsible for coordinating the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development scheduled for May 28-30, Ambassador Nobutake Odano has covered a lot of miles in...

Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré (ATT) finally has something to show for his consistent performance as one of Japan's biggest proponents in Africa with the opening of the...

Mali is not the only Francophone West African country courted by Japan. President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal was invited, along with the Presidents of Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania to...