Chapter 2
Japan's Foreign Policy by Region
3 The Situation in North Africa (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco)
(1) Egypt
Located at the geopolitical crossroads of the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, Egypt is a major regional power in the Middle East and North Africa with a population of over 110 million. Since the terror attacks by Hamas and others on October 7, 2023, Egypt has played an important role in the stability of the region through evacuations of foreign nationals and others from the Gaza Strip, acceptance of the wounded and sick, and acceptance of humanitarian aid supplies from international organizations and countries worldwide and transporting them to the Gaza Strip. Egypt has also engaged in diplomatic efforts such as mediating between Israel and Hamas, alongside Qatar and the U.S., contributing significantly to de-escalation efforts, preventing further destabilization in the region, and leading discussions on the urgency of improving the humanitarian situation.
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was inaugurated for his third term on April 2, and the government continues to operate with stability. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly was reappointed in June, and a new cabinet was formed in July, with over half of its members being newly appointed ministers.
In relations with Japan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates Abdelatty, who joined the cabinet in July, visited Japan to attend the TICAD Ministerial Meeting. During his visit, he paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Kishida and handed over President El-Sisi's letter. Foreign Minister Abdelatty also held two meetings with Foreign Minister Kamikawa, in which they exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international affairs and confirmed close cooperation between the two countries. In September, the Japan-Egypt-Jordan Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the Middle East was held in New York, where the three ministers discussed the regional situation, including the situation in Gaza. Furthermore, in response to the tense situation in the Middle East, including the situations in Gaza and Lebanon, Foreign Minister Kamikawa held a telephone call with Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry on April 4, and Foreign Minister Iwaya held a telephone call with Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdelatty on October 16.
Foreign Minister Kamikawa and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates of Egypt Abdelatty (August 23, Tokyo)
Regarding relations with the League of Arab States, headquartered in Cairo, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit visited Japan in July and met with Foreign Minister Kamikawa to discuss cooperative relations between Japan and the League of Arab States. In addition, the 5th Japan-Arab Economic Forum was held in Tokyo for the first time in 11 years. The event, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the League of Arab States, featured a ministerial meeting with economic ministers from League member states and a public-private conference attended by representatives from private companies.
The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) stationed in the Sinai Peninsula, whose main mission is to supervise the implementation of the security provisions of the Egyptian-Israeli Treaty of Peace, continues to play an important role in maintaining the ceasefire between Egypt and Israel considering the destabilizing situation in the region, including the situation in Gaza. Japan provides financial support to the MFO, including funding contributions, and has dispatched Self-Defense Force personnel to the MFO since April 2019. Japan currently sends a total of four personnel, thereby continuing to contribute to peace and stability in the region.
(2) Libya
Libya is an energy powerhouse boasting the greatest oil reserves in Africa. However, after the collapse of the Qadhafi regime in 2011, the country remains unstable with political powers competing between the east and the west of the country. In April 2019, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander of the eastern “Libyan National Army (LNA),” ordered an advance on Tripoli, leading to armed clashes. Since the two sides signed a permanent ceasefire agreement in October 2020, incidents of armed clashes between the eastern and western forces have significantly decreased, and the economy has been revitalizing. In September 2023, floods caused extensive damage, particularly in the eastern region of Derna, and countries including Japan provided emergency aid.
On the political front, a basic agreement was reached at the UN-led Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) to hold a series of national elections, including presidential elections, on December 24, 2021, but these have been postponed indefinitely and have yet to be held as of the end of 2024. In February 2023, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Abdoulaye Bathily, announced an initiative to hold elections within the year, and efforts led by the UN have continued to proceed. However, in April 2024, he resigned, citing the lack of prospects for peace, and his successor has yet to be named. Following the Japan-Libya Summit Video Conference Meeting at the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8) in August 2022, Japan reopened its embassy in Tripoli in January 2024 for the first time since it temporarily closed in July 2014, re-activating high-level exchanges of visits between the two countries. In January 2024, Vice President of the Presidential Council Abdullah Allafi visited Japan and met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi and Foreign Minister Kamikawa, where they concurred to work to revitalize bilateral relations in the future. They also exchanged views on specific measures for cooperation in areas such as the economy, business, and human resource development. In April, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs FUKAZAWA Yoichi visited Libya, paid a courtesy call on Vice President Allafi and held a Japan-Libya policy talks with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation El-Taher El-Baour. The visit was the first political-level visit from Japan to Libya in approximately 12 years. At the TICAD Ministerial Meeting held in August, Foreign Minister Kamikawa and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs El-Baour held a Foreign Ministers' Meeting where they confirmed the importance of further developing Japan-Libya relations.
(3) Maghreb Countries (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco)
The Maghreb region is of great economic importance in Africa due to its geographical advantage of being located at the junction of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and its great potential thanks to its abundant young labor force. On the other hand, the region continues to be faced with the challenge of how to overcome increasing poverty, regional economic disparities, high unemployment rate, and the impact of soaring food prices. There are also concerns about the security implications of the flow of weapons and illegal immigrants from Libya and the Sahel region.
In Tunisia, a major cabinet reshuffle was carried out with the appointment of Prime Minister Kamel Madouri in August. A presidential election was held in October, and incumbent President Kais Saied was re-elected. Regarding the economy and finances, although there have been signs that tourism, a major industry, has been recovering since the summer of 2023, attention has been focused on whether the country will be able to proceed with structural reforms in the future to address challenges such as the trade deficit, fiscal deficit, high unemployment rate, and sluggish growth rate.
In relations with Japan, State Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mounir Ben Rjiba visited Japan in February and met with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Tsuge and others. They concurred to use opportunities such as Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, to work toward further strengthening bilateral economic relations as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Furthermore, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Fukazawa visited Tunisia in May and paid a courtesy call on Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Ammar.
In Algeria, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune newly took office in December 2019. As part of economic reforms aimed at realizing “a New Algeria (l'Algérie nouvelle),” in 2022, he made amendments to the investment law among other changes. President Tebboune was re-elected in presidential elections held in September 2024. In his second term, with his administration's foundations now stable, he is expected to focus on economic and social policies, stating that he aims to make Algeria “Africa's second largest economy.” In relations with Japan, economic relations are expected to become stronger with the entry into force of a bilateral tax convention in January 2024 and an agreement to establish a joint economic committee in April. In July, CEO of SONATRACH (a national hydrocarbon company) Rachid Hachichi visited Japan to attend the Japan-Arab Economic Forum. In August, Minister of Knowledge Economy, Startups and Microenterprises Yacine El-Mahdi Oualid visited Japan to attend the TICAD Ministerial Meeting. During their visits to Japan, they met with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Tsuji and exchanged views with JICA and private companies. In addition to the oil and natural gas sector, where cooperation has been progressing to date, it is expected that economic relations between the two countries will be strengthened in a wide range of areas, including new fields such as renewable energy and startups. In 2024, Algeria served alongside Japan as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council as the only Arab country and conducted a vigorous exchange of views with Japan to cooperate through multilateral frameworks. Furthermore, bilateral relations are developing in a variety of other areas, including the Japan-Algeria Manga Contest held by the Embassy of Japan in Algeria at the Algiers International Comics Festival and the attendance of a JICA mission made up of JICA experts at the African Startup Conference.
In Morocco, the second Akhannouch cabinet was inaugurated following a cabinet reshuffle in October. Morocco has been facing serious water shortages in recent years, and King Mohammed VI emphasized the need for measures in a speech in July. Meanwhile, the country is accelerating the introduction of renewable energy and infrastructure development in preparation for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. In October, at the invitation of the King, French President Emmanuel Macron paid a state visit to Morocco and affirmed his intention to promote bilateral economic cooperation toward decarbonization and to build a value chain through infrastructure development and the establishment of a joint industrial hub in Morocco.
In relations with Japan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita visited Japan in May and held a foreign ministers' meeting and a working dinner with Foreign Minister Kamikawa and signed a “Memorandum of Cooperation for a Reinforced Partnership.” In September, the two countries signed an exchange of notes for a yen loan for the “Development Policy Loan for Universal Health Coverage” (27.76 billion Japanese yen). Furthermore, Minister of Investment, Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies Karim Zidane visited Japan in November and met with Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry MUTO Yoji, where they exchanged views toward deepening economic ties and signed a memorandum of cooperation with the aim of promoting investment and trade activities.
Foreign Minister Kamikawa, Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita signed the Memorandum of Cooperation and shake hands (May 31, Tokyo)
The League of Arab States is a regional international organization headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, with 22 Arab countries and regions as member states. The relationship between Japan and the League of Arab States has been steadily developing based on the establishment of a comprehensive mechanism for Japan-Arab cooperation built upon the Japan-Arab Economic Forum, the Japan-Arab Political Dialogue, and Japan-Arab Cultural and Educational Cooperation as a result of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Government of Japan and the League of Arab States signed by Foreign Minister Kishida in 2013. High-level visits between Japan and the League have also become more active, and Prime Minister Kishida became the first Japanese Prime Minister to visit the League of Arab States headquarters in April 2023.
■Japan-Arab Economic Forum
In July 2024, during the Japan-Arab Economic Forum, Japan invited Secretary General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit, as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and held the 5th Japan-Arab Economic Forum in Tokyo. The Ministerial Conference was attended by Foreign Minister Kamikawa and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Saito from Japan, and 10 ministerial-level dignitaries, including the Secretary General on the Arab side. The Public-Private Business and Economic Conference was attended by several government officials and business people, including Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Saito, and Arab cabinet ministers. The Forum served as a networking platform to strengthen economic relations in various fields between Japan and the League of Arab States and its member states. In the face of new challenges such as achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), tackling climate change, and responding to technological developments, Japan and Arab countries reaffirmed to become partners based on mutual trust toward realizing a sustainable, resilient, and developing economy and society through human resource development in the fields of energy and digital technology.
The 5th Japan-Arab Economic Forum Ministerial Conference (July 11, Iikura Guest House, MOFA, Tokyo)
Foreign Minister Kamikawa also took the opportunity to exchange views with the Secretary General on cooperation between Japan and the League of Arab States, as well as on regional situations.
■Japan-Arab Political Dialogue
In September 2023, the third Japan-Arab Political Dialogue was held at the League of Arab States headquarters, where Japan and League member states discussed discovering opportunities for further political cooperation on issues of common concern and common interest in regional and international situations. Foreign Minister Hayashi co-chaired the meeting with Secretary General of the League of Arab States Aboul Gheit, where they adopted a joint statement, sharing with Arab countries the importance of a free and open international order based on the rule of law.
■Japan-Arab Cultural and Educational Cooperation
Arabic language training attachés from MOFA visit the League of Arab States headquarters (June 11, Cairo, Egypt)
People-to-people exchanges are being promoted in a variety of ways. As part of Japan-Arab cultural and educational cooperation, Arabic language training attachés from MOFA visit the League of Arab States headquarters to attend lectures on the origins and purpose of the League, as well as its activities in various fields such as politics, economy, and human rights. In addition, the Embassy of Japan in Egypt gives lectures on Japan's diplomatic policy in the Arab region to junior officers of the League.
■Cooperation with the League of Arab States Organizations
There are 14 Arab organizations under the umbrella of the League of Arab States, covering a wide range of fields, and Japan also cooperates with these organizations for the development of the League member states. For example, Japan has provided a training vessel to the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport in Alexandria, Egypt, and has supported the training of Djibouti's coast guard officers at the Academy. Japan also participated in the Arab Society for Intellectual Property Conference hosted by the Arab Administrative Development Organisation in Cairo, where it shared Japanese knowledge and discussed policies for protecting intellectual property.