Chapter 2
Japan's Foreign Policy that Takes a Panoramic Perspective of the World Map
3 Southern Africa
(1) Angola
In March, President João Lourenço declared a state of emergency at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and introduced strict regulations, including the suspension of international flights. Under these circumstances, Japan provided support including distributing sanitary products such as masks and disinfectants to healthcare centers as a part of the technical cooperation “Project for Improving Maternal and Child Health Handbook” that has been ongoing since 2017.
(2) Eswatini
Eswatini remains an absolute monarchy, with King Mswati III having overwhelming power in administration and legislation. In April 2018, it was announced that the country's name would be changed from the “Kingdom of Swaziland” to the “Kingdom of Eswatini,” and the change came into force that same day. Eswatini has become the only country in Africa to have diplomatic relations with Taiwan after Burkina Faso severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 2018.
(3) Zambia
With abundant mineral resources, Zambia has been working on economic diversification in recent years to break its economy away from over-dependence on minerals.
In July, Japan exchanged notes with Zambia concerning grant aid with a maximum of 2.654 billion Japanese yen to improve and upgrade health centers into district hospitals in Copperbelt Province.
(4) Namibia
Namibia has abundant marine and mineral resources, and, as a distribution hub on the Atlantic side of the Southern Africa region, it is expected that trade and investment will expand in the fields of resource development and energy.
In September, Japan exchanged notes with Namibia concerning grant aid to provide vocational training centers with training equipment for industrial human resources development.
(5) Botswana
Botswana was the first country in Africa to adopt the Japanese terrestrial digital broadcasting system (ISDB-T system) in 2013 and is moving forward with the change to terrestrial digital broadcasting and the use of data broadcasting. In April, Japan and Botswana exchanged notes concerning grant aid to promote terrestrial digital television broadcasting receivers based on the Japanese system with a grant amount of 150 million Japanese yen.
(6) Malawi
Malawi has maintained relatively stable domestic affairs since its independence in 1964, but there have been frequent demonstrations since the May 2019 presidential election. In February 2020, the constitutional court ruled to invalidate the outcome of the election, and in a repeat election held in June, the leader of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Lazarus Chakwera, defeated the incumbent and became president.
(7) South Africa
South Africa is the only G20 member in Africa. It continues to garner attention from foreign companies including Japanese companies as a major economic power in Africa and as a hub from which to carry out business expansion. South Africa has, for the third time, been serving as a member of the UN Security Council since 2019, and has a strong presence in the international arena.
Following the spread of COVID-19, in addition to implementing domestic measures, President Cyril Ramaphosa has been leading Africa's efforts to fight the pandemic as the AU chair.
In January, the 7th Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation between South Africa and Japan was held in the capital Pretoria, where the two countries confirmed bilateral cooperation in the field of science and technology. In December, Foreign Minister Motegi visited South Africa and held a foreign ministers' meeting with Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor as well as a telephone talk with President Ramaphosa.
(8) Mozambique
Mozambique is rich in natural resources especially in the Nacala Corridor region, and Japanese companies have shown great interest in Mozambique, including one that announced their participation in Mozambique's natural gas development projects in 2019. However, since the latter half of 2019, the security situation in Cabo Delgado Province in the north has deteriorated, and President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi has been working to strengthen security measures while seeking cooperation with donor countries and neighboring countries. Japan allocated part of its food assistance via the WFP, granted through an exchange of notes in September, to support internally displaced persons in the province. In October, Japan decided to provide Emergency Grant Aid in collaboration with five international organizations, and continues to cooperate toward the realization of regional peace and stability.
In January, Mihara Asahiko, acting President of the Japan-AU Parliamentary Friendship League, attended the presidential inauguration ceremony as a special envoy of the prime minister. In December, Foreign Minister Motegi visited Mozambique and met with President Nyusi and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Veronica Macamo.
Japan-Mozambique Foreign Ministers' Meeting
(December 11, Maputo, Mozambique)
(9) Lesotho
Lesotho is a landlocked country surrounded by South Africa, composed mostly of mountainous highlands, and continues to grow economically through mining and water resources development. Trout aquaculture is carried out in the lake of the Katse Dam constructed by utilizing natural resources, providing a major export product to Japan.
Japan exchanged notes with Lesotho for food assistance through the WFP in September in response to the droughts, heat waves and floods that have significantly reduced crop yields.