Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko has visited three African nations to promote economic cooperation and to confirm the importance of building an international order based on the rule of law.
Kamikawa visited Madagascar, Cote d'Ivoire, and Nigeria on a five-day tour of emerging economies in Africa, which ended on Wednesday.
She is the first Japanese foreign minister to visit Madagascar, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. She met with her counterpart Rasata Rafaravavitafika, and confirmed that they will cooperate in efforts to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law.
During her visit to Nigeria -- a country rich in natural resources -- Kamikawa and her counterpart Yusuf Tuggar agreed that they will promote economic cooperation such as assistance for Nigerian start-ups.
Kamikawa spoke at a news conference at the end of her African tour. She said Japan, together with African nations, will work out measures to realize economic development, peace and stability in Africa. She said she believes the economic dynamism she felt during her visit will benefit Japan's economy.
Kamikawa is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka and Nepal next, after attending an OECD meeting in France.
Her tour of African and Asian nations is part of the Japanese government's efforts to step up cooperation with emerging economies and developing countries, collectively known as the Global South. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is due to visit Brazil and Paraguay in South America after the OECD meeting.