Since the end of World War II, Japan has carried out a passive diplomacy strategy on the international stage, this is due to its desire to focus on developing the country first. The increasingly rapid changes in global dynamics, security threats coming from various directions force Japan to play a role in its influence in security and economics which helps build a more advanced world. Africa has become an area where Japan’s active diplomatic strategy has been implemented. The potential possessed by Africa, as well as economic progress in the 21st century, has made Japan take the initiative to establish strategic partnerships. Through Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in 1993 focused on African development, of course by continuing to adapt to partner needs and safeguarding Japan’s interests in the region. However, it is inevitable that Japan’s consistency in building its active diplomacy will face serious challenges, and Japan must see this as adopting a more relevant strategy.
This article will discuss how Japan’s diplomatic transition in establishing partnerships with Africa, starting from passive diplomacy to active diplomacy, how international demands are present, China’s increasingly expanding influence, and Japan’s readiness to face increasingly unpredictable international threats. To be complete, the author will look at Japan’s challenges and prospects in carrying out its diplomacy.
Post-War Nationalist Sentiment to the 1990s: Japan and Its Passive Role
Countries experienced different suffering in the 1970s, there was economic stagnation after two oil crises, while Japan experienced an increase in GNP with share ownership of 10% of the total free world GNP, ranking second after the United States, an attempt by Japan to adapt by maintaining economic vitality and stability. Demands for the reconstruction of the international economic order came from countries with declining economies towards Japan, coupled with criticism of Japanese companies’ trade imbalances in several developing countries considering Japan’s high level of foreign investment, as well as non-tariff and other barriers in the international sector. However, during the post-war period, in the 1990s, Japan became peaceful bubble burst or the bursting of its economic bubble is known as “the Lost Decade”, a main reason for Japan to focus on domestic economic development, and reduce its role in the international arena. Seeing this, Japan has high nationalism, nationalism can be interpreted as pride in the country, but on the other hand, this sometimes brings arrogance, as reported by foreign observers, this character is full of potential nationalism. Therefore, international demands urge Japan to contribute more at the maximum point of its economy.
Japan’s limited steps towards peace and demands contributed to the post-Cold War. Japan’s dependence on the US to interpret the US’s guarantee of Japan’s security is very beneficial for Japan in dealing with its problems, assistance in Japan’s post-World War II revival, economic assistance, democratization and the alienation agreement. Japan’s passivity in militarization capabilities brought it into trouble; The incompatibility of security policies with the global realities faced, limited and supervised steps mean that Japan cannot freely take quick steps that threaten the country, such as terrorism and geopolitical tensions. Sentiments between countries are present here. Japan’s positive track record over decades has not removed the shadow of neighboring countries’ dark history, especially in relations between China and Korea. Events in the 1990s, Japan’s “Economic Miracle” began to be questioned, in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Japan sent financial assistance, which was considered just ‘checkbook diplomacy’ by the international environment, according to America Japan was considered little and too late to help, in this era Japan’s diplomacy was tested.
Seeing this, Japan must face what is becoming a reality in the global world, threats will continue to exist. Japan cannot just sit idly by, while the world is busy building its defensive walls, even preparing for war if necessary. Events in the early 2000s made it clearer that Japan needed to strengthen its diplomacy and security defense. There was an incident of kidnapping of Japanese citizens by a North Korean agent at that time around the 1970s and 1980s, and it was finally revealed in the early 2000s. Tensions became increasingly real, Japan was not prepared enough to face the uncertainty of the threat, and this tragedy ended in tensions between the two countries.
China’s economic rise and competition in Africa
The rise of China, with its potentially dominating influence at that time, made Japan quite nervous in its steps, and one of China’s active collaborations was with Africa through its initiatives, Belt Road Initiative (BRI), billions of dollars invested in Africa’s development and China’s interests. China adopts a particularly multidimensional approach to projects Polar Silk Road a strategy for China’s global expansion. This is increasingly important for Japan considering its dominance, considering that China and Russia are forcibly changing the status quo unilaterally. Japan’s limited natural resources, international demands, and future threats are worrying enough for Japan to be able to adapt by starting to be active on the international stage. Africa is the main strategy for countries to work together considering the large potential to be able to secure energy resource reserves but also considering sustainability strategies for Africa such as adopting the concept of zone of peace, countries that have sufficient capabilities are expected to take a proactive role in economic stability and global security.
TICAD (Tokyo International Conference on African Development) as the main platform
The transition of Japan’s passive diplomacy to Africa, apart from demands in the international arena, is the increasing growth of sub-Saharan Africa, especially in economic terms, starting from the 21st century, and China which is increasingly aggressive in taking a dominant position in its diplomacy to Africa. Japanese nationalists were successful in developing their domestic economy, but on the other hand, Japan’s readiness to build cooperation was not mature enough. When Africa achieved independence in the 1960s, Japan was not agile enough to prepare a precise and systematic strategy. Japan’s ODA is given to Asia 94.4 percent while Africa is only around 1.8% of Japan’s total ODA. The strategy of wanting to dominate power in the Asian region was because China’s aggressive diplomacy meant that Japan was not prepared enough, when it was faced with the 1973 oil crisis, since then Japan has had to be able to secure its oil reserves by collaborating with regions that have abundant resource capabilities such as Africa.
Japan’s big advantage in Africa in the 1990s was that it was in second place after America with the highest total ODA in the world. There was a decline in ODA distribution to East Asia while sub-Saara Africa increased to 10.9 percent. With great ambition, Japan wants to collaborate with 54 African countries, some of which are members of the UN. Collective support to prevent China’s domination with its legal violations, especially in the case of the Taiwan invasion. Commitment to Japan-Africa development cooperation has become serious since the First Conference took place in 1993 Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD I) under Japanese leadership, a joint development cooperation for Africa United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), African Union Commission (AUC), and the World Bank. And this year, TICAD 9 will be held in Yokohama on 20-22 August 2025. This step is an optimism for the transition from passive diplomacy to active diplomacy, because its defeat in World War II proved to the world its ability to advance and dominate African development.
The emphasis on the importance of diplomacy with Africa is stated in Blue Book of Diplomacy Japan, with an article published in 2008, emphasized the importance of state responsibility for the population and resources that must be protected in Africa. In 2010, Japan said that TICAD was the basis of Japan’s diplomatic steps towards Africa. This was made clear when in the sixth TICAD, Africa and Japan not only contributed to development, but had similarities in important values such as freedom and the supremacy of law, making them not just “helpers” but “partners” in developing the world.
Challenges and Future Prospects
In its journey, Japan will continue to be consistent in establishing harmony with Africa as seen from TICAD 9 which will take place in 2025, but Japan’s challenge regarding its influence on Africa will remain. In terms of economics, especially in the distribution of ODA, Japan will be faced with strong competitors such as China and the European Union. They will launch various collaborative projects with serious investment in Africa such as China with its BRI and the European Union with its democratic approach and sustainable development plans. Japan has experienced a decline in ODA contributions to Africa, especially when Japan’s impact on a declining population requires Japan to refocus on building a domestic economic order, as in the 1990s Japan was under the United States and Germany. Japan’s optimism in establishing cooperation with 54 African countries is not easy enough to overcome when Japan is faced with countries that choose the principle of non-alignment. On the other hand, Japanese investment in the private sector in Africa has not had good news because Japan still has minimal involvement in the private sector in Africa.
Japan must be full of optimism in emphasizing a more proactive diplomatic approach with Japanese character that makes it different from other countries. Building stronger relations begins with engaging African countries that have similar values and goals in Africa’s development, so that it is hoped that Japan’s steps can continue to prove that what it has done can be tested for truth, like the values that Japan has proclaimed in its efforts to defend the international order that relies on law.
Conclusion
A major transformation occurred in Japan, when it faced the adoption of passive diplomacy on the international stage and shifted to demands for proactive diplomacy. The stage began in post-World War II, economic recovery and distance from the international stage to focus on building the domestic economy with America as the leading shield of national security. However, from the 1990s to the 2000s, Japan began to realize the importance of oil energy sources when a crisis occurred, so that Japan’s relatively high ODA in East Asia was diverted to Africa. Japan adopted an active diplomacy strategy in its foreign policy, not just “helping” but strong relations made Japan and Africa partners with the same goal of developing the world, established from TICAD 1 in 1993 to TICAD 9 in 2025.
In maintaining its partnership with Africa, Japan needs to consider the challenges and potential it will face in the future. Japan must offer an alternative approach in diplomacy, considering that China is a strong rival in its dominance in Africa, in addition to building consistent cooperation and adapting to world needs, as well as mutually supporting security and political stability between countries. And limited ODA and increasingly complex competition with other large actors such as China and the European Union are real challenges facing Japan. Japan must be able to prove its independence and reliable capabilities.
