3 - Africa-Japan Relations in a Changing Global Order

There is a lengthy, if at times obscured history of economic, trade and diplomatic interaction between Japan and the African continent. From the mid-twentieth Century onward, Japan has steadily positioned itself as donor, and for some African countries, as trade and development partner. The rise of other powers on the African continent in recent years, notably China, as well as the expansion of new partnerships with attendant new institutional and capital formations, have had decisive impact on Japan’s foreign policy orientation to Africa. Set against a rapidly changing geopolitical context, the continent now factors into a broad set of strategic considerations for Japan, including resource, energy, economic and state security. The paper reviews the shifts in relations between Africa and Japan over the past few decades and discusses the reasons for these shifts. It analyses the nature and significance of new strategic partnerships that Japan has forged with key African states, and considers the implications of these for the continent. Questions that inform the analysis include whether changing relations and emerging partnerships offer Africa greater leverage; and what tangible benefits Africa can or is generating from these.