Cooking robots from Japan to serve US restaurants short on labor
TechMagic, which opened a Los Angeles subsidiary in January, is expected to secure UL safety certification for its I-Robo2 stir-fry robot as early as this month. Trials have begun at U.S. restaurants and stores.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
31 minutes ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Africa Conference: Japan's Investment and Support are Essential
With the rise of powers in Europe and the United States that put their own country first, support for Africa is on the decline. If the free trade system is further shaken, the impact on this region will become even more serious. Japan should take advantage of its long-standing amicable relations with African countries to contribute even more to their stability and development. The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which brings together national leaders from Japan and African countries, has begun in Yokohama. This year, 49 of the 54 African countries are participating. On Aug. 22, the final day of the event, a joint declaration is set to be adopted, centered on the 'Economic Region Initiative of Indian Ocean-Africa,' a plan to develop new distribution networks connecting the inland areas of the African continent with the Indian Ocean. TICAD is a first-of-its-kind framework for supporting Africa that Japan started in 1993. In addition to supporting nation-building through its official development assistance, Japan has also worked with nongovernmental organizations to improve public health and other areas. In recent years, the Japanese government has been encouraging private companies to actively invest in Africa to capitalize on its growth. In light of these efforts, Suzuki Motor Corp., a major automaker targeting India as its primary market, is considering establishing sales bases in Africa and expanding exports. The government will present a new initiative to develop distribution networks at TICAD as it aims to support investment by private companies. The African continent is rich in mineral resources, such as copper and cobalt. From the perspective of economic security, it is significant for Japan to strengthen ties with African countries as a supply chain for important resources. Although there are still many developing countries in Africa, each country has an equal vote in the United Nations. Strengthening relations with African nations is also important for advancing discussions on U.N. reforms, among other issues. Many African countries are currently facing new challenges. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has taken the step of significantly reducing foreign aid. In European countries where right-wing forces have gained power, there is also a growing movement to reduce development assistance. This spring, a senior official of the South African government requested support for tackling HIV from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This was because South Africa could not rely on the United States and Europe, but JICA, which was short of funds, was reportedly unable to meet the request. This was extremely regrettable. In the future, African countries may increasingly rely on Japan in many cases. African nations are suffering from the 'reciprocal' tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration. If the distance between Africa and the liberal camp widens, authoritarianism could spread, potentially destabilizing the world. Japan must work persistently to maintain the free trade system. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 21, 2025)
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Tries to Catch up with China in Tug-of-War over Copper, Cobalt, Other Important Minerals in Africa
KOLWEZI, Democratic Republic of the Congo — Japan has fallen behind in the race to form cooperative ties with African countries for access to their mineral resources, and the country is now trying to make up lost ground, as the mineral-rich continent is becoming increasingly important for Japan's economic security. China, in contrast, has gained control over many African supply chains of key minerals essential for advanced technologies and for which demand has been rapidly increasing. The Japanese government aimed to strengthen ties with African nations by holding the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama from Wednesday to Friday. Copperbelt In Kolwezi in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kabanda Ilunga, 45, crumbled soil on the ground beside a paved road. From the pile that formed, he picked up a bean-sized piece of copper ore. 'High grade [copper] is 35,000 [Congolese] francs (about ¥1,780) per kilo,' he said. '[Chinese people] buy all of [it].' Kolwezi is located at the center of the Copperbelt, one of the largest copper deposits in the world, which extends from the south of the DRC to the north of neighboring Zambia. In addition to copper, the area also contains a large amount of cobalt, which is used in electric vehicle and smartphone manufacturing. Chinese buyers even have a dominant presence in transactions involving minerals mined by private individuals on lands beyond those owned by mining companies. European countries, which once colonized Africa, and the United States had had strong ties with countries on the continent for many years. However, in the wake of the Cold War, the international community largely moved its focus away from Africa, and Western investment in the continent stagnated due mainly to human rights concerns and bribery. Japanese companies are also deeply cautious about investing in African countries. China, on the other hand, has made huge investments in roads, electric power plants and other infrastructure since the 2000s, aiming to secure natural resources and foster friendly public opinion toward China. Competition intensifying According to a report by International Energy Agency this year, copper production in Africa accounts for 17% of the global total, while its cobalt production accounts for about 70% and its lithium production 11%. Demand for cobalt and lithium is predicted to continue its rapid growth, increasing 6.4-fold and 12.8-fold respectively in 2040 from 2020 levels. Investment in mining industries in regions from the Middle East to Africa is on the rise, and competition for minerals has never been fiercer. Chinese companies have the largest interest in mines in the DRC, which account for 67% of the total volume of global cobalt production. China smelts cobalt imported from the DRC and exports the resulting product, for which it holds a 78% share of the global market. As a result, industrialized countries have deepened their reliance on China for important minerals, including rare United States and the European Union in 2023 signed a memorandum with three African countries, including the DRC, on a plan to build the Lobito Corridor — a railway line connecting the Copperbelt to a port on the Atlantic Ocean — to secure export routes. A total of $4 billion (about ¥590 billion) will be invested in the project, which will refurbish and extend a deteriorated railway. The plan aims to make transit more convenient in the mining field to facilitate a flow of people and goods. To compete with the project, China unveiled its own plan last year to invest about $1 billion to build a railway line connecting the Copperbelt to the Indian Ocean. Nevertheless, China's investments into African countries have been on the decline since their peak in 2016. Some African countries are reviewing their relationships with the Asian country due to ballooning debts. One of them is Zambia, where fewer Chinese companies are doing business than in the DRC. Zambia's administration is trying to diversify its partners through diplomacy involving its natural resources. Japan plans to build its own trade route, dubbed the Nacala Corridor, connecting the Copperbelt in Zambia with Mozambique via Malawi. The route will extend to the east coast of Africa, with the aim of connecting the Copperbelt to the Indian Ocean. Currently, the main trade routes in Africa primarily go through South Africa, but Japan aims to encourage the export of copper and cobalt through the new route with an eye to streamline shipping to India, where Japanese companies have production bases.
The Mainichi
2 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Japan may announce 10 tril. yen India investment goal during Modi visit
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan is considering announcing a 10 trillion yen ($68 billion) private investment target in India over the next decade when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits later in the month, a government source said Thursday. The new target -- an update of a five-year 5 trillion yen investment goal rolled out in 2022 -- is intended to further spur investment at a time when the two countries are working closely to promote a "free and open Indo-Pacific" in the face of an assertive China. The Japanese government may mention the target in an outcome document to be issued following summit talks between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Modi, the source said. Modi plans to visit Japan for three days from Aug. 29, the source said. It will be his first visit to Japan since May 2023, when he traveled to the Group of Seven summit in the western city of Hiroshima. The Japanese government said in March 2022, at the time of a visit to India by then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, that it would aim for 5 trillion yen of public and private investment as well as financing over five years.
