JAPANESE Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has arrived in Egypt for a summit with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, as part of his tour of four African nations. Kishida will also visit Ghana, Kenya, and Mozambique, aiming to boost cooperation with emerging and developing countries known as the Global South. Kishida hopes that this tour will lead to enhanced discussions at the Hiroshima summit, which he chairs this month.
‘ I want to confirm our partnership with the leaders of major African nations at a time when the basis of the international order is being shaken,’ Kishida told reporters in Tokyo before his departure on Saturday.
This is Kishida’s first visit to Africa since taking office in October 2021. During his visit, he aims to strengthen cooperation through the development of high-quality infrastructure and by addressing food shortages, soaring energy prices, and other issues faced by these countries.
Kishida hopes to rein in China and Russia by appealing for support for the rule of law and the maintenance and strengthening of the international order, which will also be on the agenda at the Hiroshima summit.
‘The prime minister needs to carefully explain his steady support to African nations, which do not want to be drawn into a confrontation between the United States and Russia, and build a relationship of trust with them,’ said Kunihiko Miyake, researcher at the Canon Institute for Global Studies.
