Leaders of Japan, Africa to push for stable supply chains of key minerals

The Mainichi

a day ago

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The leaders of Japan and Africa will call for stable supply chains for critical minerals by developing inland transport routes in a joint declaration at an international meeting on the continent later this week, a government source said Tuesday.
The declaration will be adopted at the three-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development from Wednesday and will also stress the importance of appropriate debt management and the rule of law, the source said, apparently with China's growing economic and military clout in mind.
With U.S. President Donald Trump's high tariff policy jolting the global economy, the leaders are also expected to pledge to promote free trade by removing levies and standardizing regulations within the bloc, the source said.
The outcome document will be issued on the final day of the ninth TICAD talks, with about 50 African states and international bodies slated to take part. Despite the Japanese capital being part of the conference's title, the event will be held in the nearby port city of Yokohama.
In its push for stable supply chains for critical minerals, Japan will support the development of highways and railways and help improve access from inland Africa to Indian Ocean coastal areas, the source said.
The Japanese government will focus on the Nacala Corridor, which links Zambia, a major copper ore producer in central Africa, with the port of Nacala in Mozambique on the continent's east coast, the source said.
Africa is rich in natural resources and rare earths, but China has been expanding its influence there through its economic power. With China holding a large share of global rare earth production, Japan has sought to diversify its suppliers.
Beijing has also faced criticism for alleged "debt-trap diplomacy" toward developing countries, using loans as leverage to gain concessions from borrowers.
The declaration is also expected to include pledges to accelerate digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence, as well as to cooperate on U.N. Security Council reforms, including expanding both permanent and nonpermanent members, the source said.
The TICAD gathering was held every five years from its launch in 1993 until the fifth session in 2013 in Yokohama. It has since taken place every three years, with the previous one held in Tunisia in 2022.