Japan, Africa agree to work together for success of summit in 2025

Foreign ministers from Japan and 47 African countries agreed Sunday to work closely together for the success of their summit scheduled to take place in August next year, while confirming their cooperation in various areas such as peacebuilding.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, who chaired the ministerial meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, also said many participants expressed support for increasing women’s involvement in conflict resolution.

At the closing ceremony of the gathering held for two days from Saturday in Tokyo, Kamikawa said Japan and African nations shared the view that they will continue joining hands to address global challenges, including the appropriate use of artificial intelligence.

The latest TICAD ministerial meeting featured three sessions on society, peace and stability, as well as the economy, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said, adding Kamikawa pledged to boost business support to the nations.

Japan has been trying to strengthen cooperation with developing and emerging countries, collectively dubbed as the “Global South,” amid China’s growing military and economic clout. Beijing has been also bolstering its influence in Africa.

Co-hosted by Japan, the United Nations, the World Bank, the U.N. Development Program and the African Union Commission, TICAD has been held every three years since 2013. Before that, it took place every five years following its launch in 1993.

The ninth TICAD summit is slated to be held in Yokohama near Tokyo for three days from Aug. 20, 2025.