‘Historical Injustice’: Japan Promises Billions Of Investment In Africa, To Lobby Security Council Seat For Continent

Japan has vowed to put in over US$30 billion in investment and funding to African countries on Saturday, as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida appears to be pushing for a permanent seat for the continent in the U.N. Security Council.

During the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Tunisia over the weekend, Kishida reiterated that the country will be investing over US$30 billion into different African countries as a way of curbing the increasing Chinese influence in the area, according to the South China Morning Post.

Japan has previously promised to invest over US$20 billion into the continent in 2019, and has been pushing for increased trade with Africa. The new promise for investment includes over US$5 billion with the African Development Bank, US$1 billion to “promote debt consolidation reforms,” and US$100 million to Tunisia to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic, Deutsche Welle reported.

Money will also be poured into the Liptako-Gourma tri-border area between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as training police officers to push for “fair and transparent” elections in the continent in Japan’s support for the country’s rule of law.

During the conference, Kishida also promised to push for a permanent African seat in the U.N. Security Council, saying that the organization faces a “moment of truth” in how it would treat its past through reforming the council, al-Jazeera reported.

“Japan reiterates its determination to redress the historical injustice against Africa of not being represented through a permanent membership on the Security Council,” Kishida said. “In order for the U.N. to work effectively for peace and stability, there is an urgent need to strengthen the U.N. as a whole through Security Council reform.”

The U.N. Security Council consists of five permanent members: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia. A revolving door of ten countries are also elected in two-year stints to be non-permanent members of the Security Council. Japan was recently announced to have been chosen for a stint from 2023 to 2024.