JAPANESE Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his desire for stronger relations between Japan and Africa on Thursday, as he aimed to court the ‘Global South’ ahead of the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit that he will host.
During a news conference in Mozambique’s capital Maputo, Kishida announced that Japan would act as a mediator between the G7 advanced nations and developing countries, and he hoped to offer concrete forms of cooperation from the G7 in critical areas such as energy and food security.
‘We need to strengthen our relationship with African countries in order to achieve sustainable development in the Global South,’ Kishida stated, stressing the significance of his African tour. ‘Japan is committed to being a dependable partner of Africa and working hand in hand to solve various challenges that Africa faces.’
Kishida highlighted the suffering of many countries in the ‘Global South’ due to high food and energy prices and stated that the root cause of this issue should be traced back to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. ‘But there are attempts to divide the world, through the projection of inaccurate impressions that this is caused by the G7’s sanctions on Russia,’ Kishida added, without specifying who was making those attempts.
Kishida’s G7 summit will take place from May 19-21 in his home constituency of Hiroshima, where leaders are expected to emphasise the importance of the rule of law in the face of Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as the regional tensions surrounding China and Taiwan. Kishida’s visit to Maputo was part of a broader tour that included stops in Egypt, Ghana, and Kenya, with a final stop in Singapore on Friday.
