Japan to double aid to Africa
2008-05-16 10:14
Tokyo - Japan plans to double its financial assistance to Africa within five years as part of its efforts to help the continent combat poverty and civil conflicts, a newspaper said on Friday.
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will announce the plan when Japan hosts a meeting with African leaders starting on May 28 in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, The Yomiuri Shimbun said.
Japan apparently hopes to boost its diplomatic clout ahead of this year's Group of Eight summit, which it will host in July on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Japan plans to concentrate on support for technology and infrastructure for raising food production, particularly in poverty-hit sub-Saharan countries, the daily said.
A foreign ministry official said Japan was "considering what we can do for Africa, but nothing concrete has been decided yet".
Japan's grant aid to Africa totalled ¥64.5bn ($616m) and its loans to the continent came to ¥68.7bn for the year to March 2008, according to the foreign ministry.
Japan, which has been officially pacifist since World War II, has long used aid as a key diplomatic tool. It was the top aid provider in the world in 1991.
But Japan's overall assistance is slipping as the debt-laden country tightens its belt.
Japan has now redirected its foreign aid, targeting countries in South and Southeast Asia and Africa, which are seen as crucial for its goal of winning a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.