It has been eight years since a Japanese Prime Minister visited Africa. Back home Shinzo Abe is shaking up the Japanese political landscape as he attempts to reposition the country to face growing Chinese regional and global influence. In the African context Japan has long sought strategic minerals and African votes in the United Nations Security Council. These trends were on display in his stopovers in Ivory Coast, Mozambique, and Ethiopia. I was recently interviewed on this topic by Channel News Asia (notwithstanding the strange title they awarded me!).
Japanese Prime Minister’s Trip to Africa
