Tokyo versus Beijing in Africa

Two historic rivals vie for the resources of the Dark Continent yet with different diplomatic and strategic approaches. In recent years, Africa has become the latest arena for the competition between historic rivals China and Japan, who are locked in a geostrategic contest for dominance on an international level.

Beijing is now an established presence on the African continent through a series of investments and projects of bilateral cooperation, but the Land of the Rising Sun has also recently been paying increasing attention to the sub-Saharan region, establishing dialogues with a number of states. The roots of this new interest in Africa can be traced directly to Tokyo’s economic and strategic needs. Japan began to shift its gaze towards Africa in the period following the end of the Cold War, 30 years later than its adversary, China. The vast reserves of natural resources beneath the ground in Africa are the main attraction for Japan, a country notoriously poor in raw materials such as platinum, zinc and manganese. Tokyo needs a continuous supply of these materials to guarantee the continuity of large scale production in key sectors such as technology. Following the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011, and the consequent decision to phase out nuclear power, Japan has also been forced to increase its use of hydrocarbons and has therefore been seeking new foreign suppliers.