By Bernama,
Tokyo : Japan’s Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda holds a record-extensive series of bilateral meetings with the leaders of African countries, Russian news agency, Itar-Tass, reported.
On Tuesday alone, Fukuda is to receive 16 Heads of State and Government of African countries. Another thirteen meetings are scheduled for Wednesday and eleven for Thursday, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official has announced.
Tuesday’s list of distinguished guests to be received by Fukuda includes the Presidents of Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and Senegal.
The series of meetings at top level has been organised in view of the forthcoming Tokyo International Conference on Africa’s Development. The conference is to open in the port city of Yokohama on Wednesday. Fifteen minutes are assigned for each meeting.
At the finishing phase of preparations for that large-scale forum, Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura also holds consultations with his counterparts from 52 African countries on Tuesday. They are to prepare a Yokohama Declaration and a five-year Joint Action Plan for endorsement at summit level.
It is expected that in those documents the government of Japan will promise to double the scope of aid and investments in the coming period for the needs of Africa’s development. For its part, Tokyo expects support for Japanese initiatives in global warming control efforts and in its bid to gain the status of Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council.
The Japan-Africa diplomatic marathon aimed at giving greater scope to cooperation with Africa is held by Japan for a fourth time since 1993 with the support of the UN and the World Bank. Analysts point out that Tokyo thereby intends not only to win African countries’ support for its diplomacy but also get a guaranteed access to the natural resources of that continent.