As US Relations With Africa Sour, Japan Pledges Closer Ties

Japan aims to build a win-win relationship with Africa, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said, underscoring the importance of ties with the resource-rich continent as economic security and geopolitical risks continue to heighten.

“Africa has tremendous potential in its population, its resources and its talent and great capacity for growth,” Ishiba told reporters at a joint press conference with Angolan President Joao Lourenco after the three-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development ended in Yokohama on Friday.

Shigeru Ishiba, right, shakes hands with Angolan President Joao Lourenco in Yokohama.

Photographer: Yoshinobu Goto/The Yomiuri Shimbun/AP Photo

The event provides an opportunity for Japan to stake its claim to being a key alternative to China or the European Union for ...