TICAD African development conference to open Wed. in Yokohama
The Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD, is held every three years. Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru is to co-chair this year's meeting.
Japan's foreign ministry says it has invited 49 African countries. More than 40 have expressed their intention to attend.
Following the opening ceremony on Wednesday, participants will discuss peace and stability. Themes over the following two days will focus on economic and social issues.
On the last day, Ishiba will attend a joint news conference to explain the results.
The prime minister is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of various countries with the aim of reinforcing ties, while keeping in mind that China and Russia are also strengthening their bonds with African countries.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
an hour ago
- The Mainichi
Senegal president hopes for Japanese support for Africa's digital growth
DAKAR (Kyodo) -- The president of Senegal has expressed hope for Japanese support for boosting technological and digital development in Africa to help grow the continent's economy. In a recent interview ahead of the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Japan, Diomaye Faye said that he believes taking advantage of Japan's edge in the field will lead to providing "transformative solutions for African economies." The remarks by Faye, who became the youngest president in Senegal's history in April last year at the age of 44, come ahead of the start of the TICAD conference on Wednesday in Yokohama near Tokyo. Faye is hoping to tap into the region's large young population for the development of human resources. This year's TICAD conference will tackle issues such as empowerment of youth and women. Faye described the gathering as a "great opportunity to strengthen and diversify cooperation between Africa and Japan." While stressing the importance of TICAD as a forum for multilateral cooperation, he said he is concerned that "multilateralism is taking a significant step backward," in an apparent reference to U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" foreign policy. Faye called on Japan, Africa and partners around the world "to strengthen this multilateralism" and make it "fairer." Faye won last year's presidential election as an opposition candidate, marking the third democratic regime change in the country after 2000 and 2012. In recent years, West Africa has experienced military coups, prompting the French military to withdraw from the area. Although Senegal has never experienced a coup since its independence from France in 1960, it has requested French troops to leave, ending their permanent deployment in July.
Japan Times
3 hours ago
- Japan Times
Tokyo stocks hit a fourth all-time high in six trading days
Tokyo stocks reached all-time highs for a second consecutive day and for the fourth time in six trading days, and then languished through to the close and ended down 0.38%. The Nikkei 225 stock index reached the record — of 43,876.42 — right after the open in the morning on Tuesday, beating the previous high of 43,835.12 set Monday. Fresh news has been lacking this week after stocks rallied last week on optimism related to recent trade agreements, positive economic statistics and peace talks. Share prices continued to move up Monday mainly on momentum and the lack of any bad news. Overnight, stocks traded indecisively and with little conviction. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 fell slightly Monday, while the Nasdaq Composite index increased 0.03%. In Tokyo, Mitsubishi UFJ dropped 2.63% on Tuesday. SoftBank Group, which announced a $2 billion investment in Santa Clara, California's Intel, fell 4.01% after a brief surge following the news. Pharmaceutical companies continued the rally on Tuesday, with Daiichi Sankyo rising by 4.78% and Chugai Pharmaceutical 4.45%. The yen weakened, briefly rising above ¥148 to the dollar and trading at about ¥147.6 in the afternoon. The Nikkei 225 hit record highs on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, then retreated Thursday after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made comments that suggested Japan needs to raise its interest rates. Stocks did not reach another all-time high on Friday but still managed to end the day at a new closing high after data showed the Japanese economy performed beyond expectations in the second quarter. Real GDP in the three months ended in June rose by an annualized 1%. On Monday, the benchmark rose after trading started and spent most of the day in positive territory, hitting an all-time high during the day and ending up 0.77% at 43,714.31, a record close.
Japan Times
3 hours ago
- Japan Times
Tokyo crowned No.1 'workation' spot
Tokyo is the world's best city to take a 'workation,' or a working vacation, thanks to infrastructure for remote work, safety, culture and a new digital nomad visa, according to a new global ranking. The annual Work from Anywhere Barometer survey compiled by the International Workplace Group, a Swiss-based firm that provides coworking and serviced corporate spaces globally, scored 40 different cities across various factors, including flexible workspaces, accessibility of digital nomad visas, quality of broadband and proximity to nature. Tokyo topped the rankings for its 'exceptional broadband speeds, transport infrastructure, safety, culture, and new digital nomad visa.' 'The city also benefits from proximity to mountains, coastal regions, and national parks — ideal for hybrid workers seeking an exciting urban atmosphere alongside natural escapes,' the survey said. Japan's capital beat out last year's winner, Budapest, and surpassed other competitors such as Barcelona, Beijing and Paris. This was the first year Tokyo was included in the rankings, and it remains the only Japanese city in the group. The number of cities has increased over the three years the survey has been held. In 2025, Seoul, Cairo, Cape Town, Melbourne, Rome, Mexico City, Orlando in Florida, Prague and Reykjavik were added to the list. In April 2024, Japan launched a digital nomad visa, echoing moves by other countries wanting to capitalize on an increasingly global workforce hoping to work remotely outside of their home countries. Last year, 257 digital nomad visas were issued by Japan. The visa allows individuals whose annual income is ¥10 million ($68,300) or more to work in Japan for up to six months. Passport holders from 51 countries and territories are granted access to the visa, with self-employed individuals also eligible. Spouses and children of individuals from most countries are also included under the visa umbrella. Partially fueled by the weakness of the yen against stronger currencies, tourism in Japan is booming. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of foreign visitors for the first half of this year reached a record 21.52 million, up from 17.78 million in the same period last year. Many of the factors that have drawn tourists were also cited in the annual IWG report. Tokyo scored highly on 'cultural quality,' with a high number of Michelin-starred restaurants and cultural events cited. It also performed highly on affordability of food. Rio de Janeiro was just one point behind Tokyo, followed by Budapest. In Asia, Seoul was ranked fourth and Beijing came in sixth. Workations were a burgeoning trend in the corporate world for a number of years before being turbocharged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Estimates of the number of digital nomads globally vary, but the most commonly cited number is 40 million, sourced from data marketing firm Demand Sage. In Japan, domestic workations have also gained popularity. During the pandemic, a number of national parks in Japan installed Wi-Fi and portable workstations to entice workers. 'With so many jobs now relying on heavy computer use, it's more important than ever to take regular screen breaks. ... Leaving your desk to get a cup of coffee is great. Drinking that coffee while sitting on the lake shore, or watching birds flit through the foliage, is even better,' the Japan National Tourism Organization website said.
