Japan sells itself as Global South’s China counterweight with whistle-stop tour of Africa, South Asia

As well as stepping up engagement, Tokyo’s aim is to narrow the development gap among countries in the Global South – a term for a loose grouping of developing nations – according to Céline Pajon, head of Japan research at the French Institute of International Relations’ Centre for Asian and Indo-Pacific Studies in Paris.

Strategic considerations were front of mind during the visits, Pajon said, noting that Japan’s free and open Indo-Pacific plan was particularly relevant to Madagascar, given the island’s location in the western Indian Ocean, separated from the African continent by the Mozambique Channel.

The 1,700km (1,100-mile) strategic waterway is primarily used for trade and the transport of energy resources and minerals, but drug trafficking, illegal fishing and piracy have also become problems in recent years.

“Japan is thus seeking to strengthen maritime connectivity and security, through investments in the Toamasina Port and provision of patrol boats,” Pajon said, referring to Madagascar’s main port. She added that economic security was another key consideration as the island is rich in natural resources and minerals such as nickel.

In a meeting with Madagascar’s President Andry Nirina Rajoelina on Sunday, Kamikawa said Japan wanted to contribute to the African country’s economic resilience by improving mineral-resource production and fostering urban growth. In her meetings with senior Ivory Coast officials later in the week, she stressed the importance Tokyo attaches to the country as a gateway to the francophone region of West Africa.

Pajon said the minister’s visits were also aimed at laying the groundwork for the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which is set to be held in the