|
On August 17, DPJ Vice President Yoriko Madoka met with ambassadors from five African nations at party headquarters. The meeting was attended by the ambassadors of Zimbabwe, Egypt, Senegal, Cameroon and Eritrea, representing the various regions of the continent.
Madoka welcomed the ambassadors, saying that if the DPJ was successful in realising a change of government at the general election on August 30th, the party would like to further develop relations with African nations, and deepen people-to-people ties. She looked back on her experiences of visiting the continent, and described Africa as “A continent of hope” which shows signs of modern economic growth and also possessed rich natural resources.
The ambassadors explained that the TICAD IV (Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development) held last May in Yokohama had been much more significant than previous TICADs, with delegations from 51 African nations participating, and 29 of those delegations being led by former heads of state.
Madoka said that relations between Japan and African nations should not be confined simply to official development assistance and humanitarian aid, but that it was also important to encourage investment by private corporations, which would invigorate personal exchanges. The ambassadors agreed with this comment, and while emphasising the importance of such exchanges, expressed their regret that there had not been many high-level visits by Japanese politicians to Africa.
Madoka responded, “US President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have both visited Africa. Chinese President Hu Jintao has also visited Africa four times [since becoming President]. We would like to increase the attention paid by Japan to Africa. Fortunately, many DPJ Diet members, including Secretary General Okada, have visited the continent and understand its significance. If we take power, I think that the understanding shown toward Africa will increase.” The ambassadors said that this general election was being given unprecedented attention internationally, and that they would be watching events closely on August 30.
|
.jpg)
.jpg)