Japan Looks to Reinvigorate Africa Policy
By Jonathan Berkshire Miller, on 08 Apr 2013, Briefing
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Last month, newly minted Chinese President Xi Jinping toured Africa promising more investment, stronger people-to-people ties and a more dynamic trading relationship with the continent. Considering that China’s trade with Africa totaled nearly $200 billion last year, this visit was more than mere window-dressing. India also has been staking out an aggressive strategy of engagement in Africa, building on its historical ties to Eastern Africa. Last year, Indian trade with the continent neared $70 billion.
Where does this leave Japan? For years, Tokyo maintained an impeccable reputation across the continent as a result of its generous supply of overseas development assistance. While it may not garner the same headlines as China’s energy politics in the region or U.S. counterterrorism work in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, Japan’s efforts across Africa are increasing in depth and scope. On the development side, Japan will be hosting the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) this June in Yokohama. Despite economic troubles at home, TICAD continues to enjoy high-level support from the government of Japan and serves as one of the premier development assistance forums on the continent.
This year, which marks the 20th anniversary since TICAD’s launch, is an important one for the regional engagement mechanism. TICAD has been pushing a two-pronged approach to development assistance that focuses on African ownership complemented by international partnership and high-level policy dialogue between leaders. In a sense, TICAD has effectively worked to form a bond between Japan and Africa that might otherwise be absent due to a lack of historical or cultural ties. Some examples of recent projects under the TICAD framework include the development of post-conflict Sierra Leone, combating malaria in Tanzania and working to improve and expand energy access in Burkina Faso.
Under the auspices of TICAD, Japan has been excelling at its traditional strength in Africa -- maintaining influence through soft power and savvy, inventive diplomacy. However, there is nuance to Japan’s development assistance. Since 2005, Japan has provided more than $1 billion for enhanced private sector assistance for Africa with an eye toward increasing its trade with the continent. Over the span of the past five years, Japan has been averaging more than $4 billion per year in foreign direct investment to Africa. Though this number is steadily climbing, it still pales in comparison to other OECD countries and is just a fraction of the $16 billion that China invested in 2011 alone.
Japan is looking to amend its traditional approach and will likely leverage its capital with African governments through TICAD to cultivate stronger investment ties between the continent and Japanese companies. Thus far, Tokyo has been focusing these efforts on areas such as mining and infrastructure, for example with the landmark Ambatovy project in Madagascar that is slated to produce 60,000 tons of refined nickel and 5,600 tons of refined cobalt per year by 2014. Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. holds a 27.5 percent stake in an international consortium, also including Canada and South Korea, which is developing the mine. Despite this, Japan’s trade with Africa is limited in scope. Nearly 85 percent of Japan’s imports from Africa come from a handful of states rich in metals, minerals and energy, with South Africa leading the way at 62 percent of Japan’s African trade.
Tokyo’s engagement with Africa has also taken a distinct course with regard to Japan’s evolving international security footprint. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed an interest in revising Japan’s International Peace Cooperation Law so that the Self Defense Forces can play a more active role in the continent’s peacekeeping operations. This policy, in fact, enjoys support across party lines -- the now-marginalized Democratic Party of Japan supported peacekeeping efforts in Africa under the government of former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
Japan is already taking an active security role in Africa through its Maritime Self-Defense Force, which has been operating in the Horn of Africa since 2009. Tokyo currently deploys a number of destroyers and P-C3 patrol aircraft to ensure the safe passage of Japanese vessels as mandated under the country’s Anti-Piracy Measures legislation. According to a Ministry of Defense white paper, the maritime force has escorted more than 2,600 vessels without incident since operations commenced in 2009. Additionally, the P-C3s have flown nearly 700 surveillance missions around the strategic waters.
Japan’s security concerns in Africa are not just maritime, however. The siege and hostage-taking at an Algerian gas facility in January claimed the lives of 10 Japanese workers. The “Algeria shock” sent significant ripples through Japan’s security policy community and has fueled talk of Abe’s creating a national security council following the U.S. model.
In sum, Japan’s engagement with Africa is neither a luxury nor a burden -- it is a necessity. As the dynamic states of Africa continue to evolve and develop a range of international partnerships, Tokyo should keep its eye trained on maintaining a strong economic presence on the continent. New investment will also require enhanced protection measures for Japanese nationals and corporate capital. Abe’s government is taking a solid approach to engaging the continent but will have to enhance and sustain its efforts if Japan wishes to compete with Africa’s host of other suitors.
Jonathan Berkshire Miller is a Sasakawa Peace Foundation fellow on Japan for the Center for Strategic and International Studies Pacific Forum. |
