Taiwan names Japan's ex-SDF chief as Cabinet consultant
Shigeru Iwasaki, the chief of staff of the Self-Defense Forces from 2012 through 2014, was named a consultant to Taiwan's Cabinet, said the two officials who asked not to be identified discussing the sensitive issue.
The Cabinet usually doesn't announce such appointments, one of the officials said.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
29 minutes ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL / TICAD 9 in Yokohama, Japan, to Highlight Shift from Aid to Investment in Africa as Region Sees Surge in Interest
The Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), a summit-level meeting to discuss how to assist Africa with its development, is being held from Wednesday to Friday in Yokohama. Economic growth is expected to continue in Africa, which has an energetic young population, and the region's huge market potential is attracting attention across the world. The conference is also an important occasion for Japan to build and deepen its relationships with countries on the continent. Potential The engine of Africa's economic growth is thought to be its population, which is expected to continue growing through the end of the century, and the fact that it is young. According to the United Nations, Africa's population, which was about 1.46 billion in 2023, is predicted to surpass 2.4 billion in 2050, which would account for a quarter of the planet's people. The median age in Africa is on track to be 24.4 years old in 2050. In 2100, when Africa's population is projected to reach about 3.8 billion, the median age is predicted to be 35.1. That is more than 10 years younger than the 2100 projected median age of 47.8 in India, the country with the largest population currently. Interest and money from all over the world are being concentrated in Africa's markets. In 2024, total direct investments into Africa hit a record high of about $97 billion (about ¥14.2 trillion). Meanwhile, economic growth in the region this year is estimated to be 3.7%, according to the United Nations, one percentage point higher than the worldwide average. Japanese companies are also stepping up their advance into African markets. In 2015, Japanese or Japanese-funded companies had 687 sites in 38 African countries. By 2024, the number of sites had grown to 948 in 40 countries, an increase of 40% in 10 years. Some of the companies are making their presence increasingly felt by working to resolve social problems in Africa. Their projects innclude utilizing drones and AI in the fight against malaria and supplying electricity to areas off the grid. Major blow The main agenda of the TICAD is shifting from providing Africa with grants-in-aid and other assistance to helping with business development and investing in the private sector. This shift 'from aid to investment' is becoming increasingly clear. This year, the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump dissolved the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which had contributed greatly to dealing with issues in Africa such as AIDS and poverty. The agency's projects were discontinued in July, dealing a major blow to recipient African countries. Taking advantage of the U.S. exit, China, which has continuously been providing African countries with huge loans, announced in June that tariffs on imports from 53 African countries would be set to zero. Likewise, countries such as Russia and India are aiming to deepen their ties with nations on the continent. With competition among countries intensifying, Japan's method of engaging with Africa will be tested. According to Kei Yoshizawa, senior adviser of the Africa Department of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), adverse effects from the dissolution of USAID cannot be avoided. However, he also said that U.S. aid to other countries is a type of thoughtless spending. 'Japan has continued to provide aid that encourages people to help themselves, and some efforts have resulted in new businesses being created,' he said. 'Continuing the conventional style of aid, which other countries have not been able to keep up, should be something that contributes to Japan's national interests.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
an hour ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL / Consultant: TICAD 9 Offers a Wealth of Opportunities for Japanese Companies; Firms Should Seize These Chances to Expand into New Fields, Create New Businesses
Yukari Umemoto is the managing director of Africa Business Partners. The following is an excerpt from an interview she gave to The Yomiuri Shimbun about the TICAD 9 summit. Japanese companies are now making inroads into Africa. But underlying this progress is a sense of crisis that they will not be able to survive by operating in Japan alone, as the country's population declines and its markets shrink. Markets in Africa, where there are still a lot of unmet needs and newcomers can have chances to win, look attractive to many companies. I have consulted with companies that want to enter African markets but do not know how to start a business in a place which is totally unfamiliar to them. However, Japanese companies have advantages which are generally recognized even in Africa, including their financial power, reliability and technological capabilities. If they can make good use of these advantages, they can fare well in markets where China and European countries are currently ahead of them. The dismantling of USAID by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump can be seen as an opportunity for Japan to enter fields such as public sanitation and fighting poverty, which were previously the purview of the United States. While the focus of the debates at TICAD is shifting from aid to investment, I hope that this year's summit will be an opportunity to consider what benefits Japan can obtain from Africa. At the time of the first TICAD meeting, the Japanese side saw it as necessary to draw African nations into alignment with them, no matter the cost. Japan's present-day representatives ought to remember the stance the country held in those years and hammer out flexible bargaining strategies. Many companies and organizations are participating in this year's TICAD, which offers them a precious opportunity due to the fact that many VIPs from African countries are visiting Japan. We should not let TICAD 9 be nothing more than a conference — I hope it will be a space in which new businesses can be born.
an hour ago
Ishiba Unveils New Economic Initiative as TICAD 9 Starts
News from Japan Aug 20, 2025 16:43 (JST) Yokohama, Aug. 20 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba unveiled a new regional economic initiative at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD 9, which kicked off in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday. At the opening ceremony for the summit-level meeting, to be held for three days, Ishiba, co-chair of the conference, proposed the initiative designed to enhance economic ties between the continent and regions linking it with India. He also announced that the Japanese public and private sectors will collaborate to increase investments in Africa. "It will be an age from now that solutions produced in Africa help global society including Japan," Ishiba said. "Japan hopes that it will maintain reliable partnerships with the continent, providing each other with solutions." "Let Japan and leaders gathering here from African countries as one meet challenges that the world and Africa have faced, by discussing together innovative means to solve them," he added. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
