Africa


Japan
Japan Must (Again) Resist Xenophobia amid ‘Japan First’ Rhetoric
Posted On September 4, 2025
As the 9th TICAD, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development concluded in Yokohama City, late last month, a seemingly innocent initiative to foster “hometown” partnerships was launched by the Japan International Development Agency (JICA) in four African cities. JICA announced that four partner countries, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania, would be matched with four regional Japanese cities, Imabari, Kisarazu, Sanjo and Nagai. Public reception was not as expected, and decidedly negative.
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China  / East Asia  / Japan
Japan’s Diplomatic Bluebook Paints China as Central Villain
May 2, 2024

The more things change the more they stay the same. In the 2024 Diplomatic Bluebook, recently released through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan assertively labeled China a global threat, while still carefully trying to balance both positive and negative terms. The new edition employs much stronger language about its regional rival, characterizing Beijing’s activity in the South China Sea as “unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.” The not-so-subtle change in the language in the new edition is predicated on the central theme of Beijing’s progressively coercive efforts.


Africa  / United Nations
No, the United Nations is not racist
November 10, 2020

The United Nations may be flawed and it may have a diversity problem in some agencies, but it can’t be called racist. François Soudan’s article on racism on 2 November argues that the United Nations system is built to preserve the “subspecies” of white males. Racism does exist within the United Nations system. It’s hard to deny this given the allegations detailed in Foreign Policy in October. However, it is important to put this in the context of the progress that has been made within the UN system on issues of equality, race, and gender.


Africa  / United Nations
The UN at 75 years; Africa and the strained relationship
September 21, 2020

Africa’s relationship with the United Nations began in 1960, when 15 African countries gained independence and 17 became UN member states. In an effort to remove the stain of Western colonialism, the UN embarked on an effort to assist newly independent African states in their right to sovereignty and self-determination.