Japan has shifted increasingly from a practical to a proactive strategic action in Africa; tackling diplomacy based on the extraction of resources, infrastructure building, market-oriented investments, in addition to the support of public funding. What are the features of African integration into Japan’s strategic interests? What drives Japan to pivot to Africa?
Features of African integration into Japan’s strategic interest
Japan has long been lagging in Africa compared to many other industrial powers. Formerly oriented towards a “diplomacy of natural resources” – vital for an archipelago which is completely deprived of it, Japan has henceforth been taking advantage of Africa’s growing consumer market.
One of the most perceptible aspects of Japan’s foreign policy vis-à-vis Africa is its Official Development Assistance (ODA) which is reinforced and implemented by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA); a strategic outreach instrument. Established in 2003, JICA is based in Tokyo and has around 100 offices around the world, including 26 chapters based in Africa. In 2016, Africa represents 28% of donations, 15% of technical cooperation and 4% of concessional loans, and hosts nearly one-third of the 2,500 Japanese volunteers who implement aid programs.
An additional platform that boosts Japan’s presence in Africa is Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). It has basically expanded from simply being an instrument for Japanese development assistance to Africa to become a platform to push the presence of Japanese firms in order to also achieve Japan’s foreign policy objectives. Its role is to discuss and develop action plans for Africa’s challenges such as economic development, poverty alleviation and post-conflict recovery.
A brief historical throwback is relevant to comprehend the context and the essence of the Japanese presence in Africa. The first edition of the TICAD was organized in 1993 when Africa underwent a strategic downgrade and the Western countries got more oriented and interested in the development of Eastern Europe after the Soviet era. This is one of the reasons why Japan has led this initiative, TICAD’s approach is not strictly bilateral, it rather involves States and international organizations as partners. This approach is reflecting how TICAD has always advocated for “Africa ownership” and the “International partnership” in dealing with issues of development, agriculture, health, in addition to issues of trade, investment, human security, resilience or environment to spur growth on the African continent.
Moreover, the strategic presence of Japan is reflected by its self-defence forces with the peacekeeping operations. How? Although modest, the Japanese military presence was reinforced with the creation of a naval air base in 2011 in Djibouti; the first one based abroad since 1945. Its mission is to participate in the fight against international piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Not only that, but it is also a way to test the self-defence deployments and train its navy.
Furthermore, Japan provided technical assistance for National Police re-education programs in collaboration with the Government of the DRC and MONUC. Between 2004 and 2012, the total number of rehabilitated police officers exceeded 19,000.
The Official Development Assistance (ODA) granted by Tokyo to Africa plays a leading role in this security framework; by strengthening peace and stability in the Sahel, Central Africa and South Sudan, where, since 2012, Japan has been actively involved in UN peacekeeping operations.
Tokyo has clearly made Africa a strategic priority that goes beyond defending and promoting its economic interests. It acts on several political and security levels to become an ascending partner of the African continent.
Japan’s economic presence in Africa in numbers:
The underside of Japan’s presence in Africa: This choice might not be trivial
Japan’s strategic horizons are expanded within the international balance of power mutations known as “global power shift”, and pivoting to Africa through different proactive actions is seen as part of Japan’s recovery strategy from the long-term stagnation of its economy since the 1990s.
There are several reasons for Japan’s increased interest in Africa: First, to be present in a growing area on which depends the archipelago in terms of its need for raw materials. Second, to secure political support from African countries in any eventual reform of the UN Security Council where Japan is seeking a permanent seat.
Strategically, Tokyo is trying to counterbalance the rise of China on the continent and help secure the sea route to the east of the African continent.
Pointedly, Japan’s push into Africa has become part of the global integration of Tokyo’ s strategic core interests globally to deal with emerging insecurities and economic challenges.
Japan is particularly keen to find new sources of the commonly referred to as rare earth metals; raw materials used in electronics and mobile phones that it currently imports mainly from China. The interest is therefore strategic: reduce the dependence on the Chinese neighbour that appears to be more and more threatening.
Broadly but subtly, the traditional models of development aid; with a donor and a beneficiary, are outdated. Relationships have become more complex and it is more significant to think through a process of mutual learning and joint solutions. These new development doctrines require a review of human capital, subjective dimensions such as cultural aspects of the foreign policy to ignore narratives of Africa as “the continent of terrorism and conflicts” and embrace an “Africa rising”. In nutshell, it requires a review of Japan’s soft power as a paradigm.
Imane LAHRICH
* Numbers in “Japan’s economic presence in Africa” section are taken from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development data : https://data.oecd.org/