Japan’s Koizumi in Ethiopia at start of Africa tour

April 30, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — Japan’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi arrived late Saturday in Ethiopia, on the first leg of a tour of Africa and Sweden reflecting attempts by Tokyo to expand beyond its Asia-focused diplomacy and gain global clout.

Koizumi, who left Japan on Saturday, will head to Ghana after Ethiopia and will then visit Sweden before returning home on May 5.

He is the first sitting Japanese leader to visit the countries.

“The Japanese Prime minister’s visit to Addis Ababa underlines the importance of Africa for Japan and Japan’s interest in Africa,” a statement from Japan’s embassy in Ethiopia said.

Koizumi, Japan’s longest serving premier in a generation, last visited the continent in September 2002 for a global summit on sustainable development in South Africa.

In Ethiopia he was to meet Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Sunday and then on Monday the head of the African Union commission, Alpha Oumar Konare, whose organisation is based in the Ethiopian capital.

The only other sitting Japanese leader to go to Africa was Koizumi’s predecessor Yoshiro Mori, who travelled to Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa in 2001.

Wooing Africa is a key part of Tokyo’s strategy to win a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council — a top Japanese foreign policy goal that China has strongly opposed.

(ST)