Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday promised that Japan will appeal with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for an African seat on the top world body, reported The Africa News.
“Japan reiterates its determination to redress the historical injustice against Africa of not being represented through a permanent membership on the Security Council,” Prime Minister Kishida told the Tokyo International Conference on African Development held in Tunis.
Notably, the UN Security Council comprises of 15 member countries, five of whom are permanent and have veto-wielding power- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
The other ten positions are filled by other countries for two-year terms, five of which are announced each year. Japan was among five countries elected in June to hold a non-permanent seat on the UN council for 2023 and 2024.
Speaking via live video from Tokyo after testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, the Japanese prime minister said his government would invest some $30bn in Africa in the next three years.
He said the funding includes up to $1 billion in a new special quota that will be established by the Japanese government to promote debt consolidation reforms.
He also announced Japan would appoint a special envoy to the Horn of Africa, which is reeling through a long drought, prompting the UN’s weather agency to warn an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe” last week.
Kishida said Japan would pump $8.3m into the troubled but gold-rich Liptako-Gourma tri-border area between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, which has been frequently attacked by armed groups in recent years.
He said the aid will aim to develop good cooperation between residents and local authorities and help improve administrative services for the area’s five million residents.
The Japanese leader also promised aid to train police officers and support fair and transparent elections across the continent, pledging Japan’s support for the rule of law in Africa.
