TICAD 9 comes at a pivotal moment for global cooperation. Could you share Japan's vision for this summit and what it seeks to accomplish?
This year, 2025, is the year for Africa, with the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development TICAD 9 to be held in Yokohama, Japan in August. TICAD 9 will be held at a significant time, leading into the UN General Assembly High-Level Week in September, marking the 80th anniversary of the UN. It then leads into the G20 Summit in South Africa in November, which will be the first time that Africa hosts that group of nations.
I myself visited South Africa in February and Senegal in May and experienced first-hand the dynamism of Africa.
As the international community faces multifaceted challenges, it has never been more important for Japan to deepen cooperation with African countries, based on the concept of human security, in addressing global issues such as global health, human resource development and education, disaster prevention and landmine clearance, where Japan has expertise.
These discussions are also in line with the UN Summit of the Future last September and with the fourth UN International Conference on Financing for Development FfD4 in June-July this year.