Africa Policy Panel-Topbanner

The Global Forum of Japan (GFJ) has launched the Africa Policy Panel as a platform for collecting and analyzing the latest and most accurate information on regions of strategic importance to Japan and disseminating the findings. Africa is a continent rich in potential, endowed with abundant natural resources and expected to experience rapid population growth. A digital revolution is also advancing rapidly, driven by the spread of mobile phones and other technologies. Although Africa is often described as the "last frontier," it remains a region about which relatively little is known in Japan.

As is well known, nearly 30 years ago, in 1993, with the Cold War having ended and international interest in supporting Africa waning, Japan underscored the importance of the continent and launched the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) as a forum on African development. Since then, through TICAD and other initiatives, Japan has built a record of diplomatic engagement aimed at linking the potential of Africa's "last frontier" markets to the growth of the Japanese economy.

At the same time, despite remarkable economic growth driven by technological innovation and rapid population growth, Africa continues to face numerous challenges, including conflict, poverty, and climate change. In recent years, countries have also been expanding their influence on the continent, with China, for example, making massive investments in infrastructure development.

Against this backdrop, GFJ launched the Africa Policy Panel as what might be described as a Japan-based hub for African affairs. With Professor Mitsugi Endo of The University of Tokyo serving as Chair, leading Japanese experts on the politics and economies of Africa and China come together to examine, from multiple perspectives, what is happening in Africa today, what may happen next, and where the continent is headed.

To achieve these objectives, the Panel conducts research and study activities centered on the following members.

Members

Chair Mitsugi ENDO
Professor, The University of Tokyo / Academic Member, GFJ
Advisor Naohiro KITANO
Professor, Waseda University
Members Rumi AOYAMA
Professor, Waseda University
Toru SAGAWA
Associate Professor, Keio University
Takuto SAKAMOTO
Professor, The University of Tokyo
Shinichi TAKEUCHI
Professor, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Takashi TAMAI
Associate Professor, Tokyo Woman's Christian University
Takahiro FUKUNISHI
Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO)
GFJ Mayu WATANABE
President, GFJ / President, JFIR
Yohei TAKAHATA
Executive Secretary, GFJ / Distinguished Research Fellow, JFIR

Activity Log

Scene from the Meeting
August 4, 2026　12th Africa Policy Panel: Rethinking the World Order and Conceptions of Humanity from an African Perspective
The Panel welcomed two guest speakers, Mareyuki Ebata, Chief Priest of Misaka Shrine, and Ran Muratsu, Assistant Professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. They engaged in a lively exchange of views on the theme with Panel members, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.
Scene from the Meeting
April 17, 2026　11th Africa Policy Panel: Africa in a Shifting Global Economy
The Panel welcomed Tatsushi Amano, Senior Executive Managing Officer and Global Head of the Energy and Natural Resources Finance Group at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), as a guest speaker. He engaged in a lively exchange of views on the theme with Panel members, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.
Scene from the Meeting
April 10, 2025　10th Africa Policy Panel: Overview of Africa and the Role of the African Development Bank
The Panel welcomed Osamu Kawanishi, Director of the Asia External Representation Office of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), as a guest speaker. He engaged in a lively exchange of views on the theme with Panel members, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.
Scene from the Meeting
September 10, 2024　9th Africa Policy Panel: Political Situation in North African Countries
Amane Kobayashi, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), gave a presentation on "Political Situation in North African Countries," followed by an open discussion among participants. To analyze developments in Africa, whose presence among the countries commonly referred to as the "Global South" has been growing, from a broader range of perspectives, the meeting was held jointly with the JFIR Study Group on "The Future of the China-Russian Sphere of Influence Concept and Japan's Response."
Scene from the Meeting
December 14, 2023　8th Africa Policy Panel: Trends in China's Africa Policy
Panel member Rumi Aoyama, Professor at Waseda University, gave a presentation on the theme, followed by a discussion with 65 participants, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.
Scene from the Meeting
September 19, 2023　7th Africa Policy Panel: Gender and Development in Africa
The Panel welcomed Kiyomi Kaida, Associate Professor at Bunkyo Gakuin University, as a guest speaker and held a discussion on the theme with 70 participants, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.
Scene from the Meeting
December 19, 2022　6th Africa Policy Panel: How Should Japan Engage with Africa?
The Panel welcomed Katsumi Hirano, Executive Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO), as a guest speaker and held a discussion on the theme with 150 participants, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.
Scene from the Meeting
October 19, 2022　5th Africa Policy Panel: Looking Back on TICAD 8
The Panel welcomed Hiroyuki Mase, Director of the First Africa Division, African Affairs Department, Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, as a guest speaker and held a discussion on the theme with 45 participants, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.
Scene from the Meeting
May 20, 2022　4th Africa Policy Panel: Africa's Hyper-Accelerating Economy: Africa Today
The Panel welcomed Susumu Tsubaki, Representative Partner of Asia Africa Investment and Consulting (AAIC), as a guest speaker and held a discussion on the theme with 100 participants, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.
Scene from the Meeting
February 10, 2022　3rd Africa Policy Panel: Japan's Diplomacy toward Africa
The Panel welcomed Koji Yonetani, Director-General of African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, as a guest speaker and held a discussion on the theme with Panel members, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.
Scene from the Meeting
June 25, 2021　2nd Africa Policy Panel: Russia's Expanding Presence in Africa: Current Situation and Challenges
The Panel welcomed as guest speakers Dmitry Streltsov, Head of the Department of Asian and African Studies at MGIMO University, and Yoko Hirose, Professor at Keio University. They held a discussion on the theme with 50 participants, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.
Scene from the Meeting
December 11, 2020　1st Africa Policy Panel: Africa in the Post-COVID Era: What Japan Can Do Now
With the cooperation of the Research Center for African Studies, The University of Tokyo, among others, the Global Forum of Japan held the 1st Africa Policy Panel online in Tokyo on December 11, 2020.

Videos

5th Africa Policy Panel: Looking Back on TICAD 8

The Panel welcomed Hiroyuki Mase, Director of the First Africa Division, African Affairs Department, Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, as a guest speaker and held a discussion on the theme with 45 participants, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.

4th Africa Policy Panel: Africa's Hyper-Accelerating Economy: Africa Today

The Panel welcomed Susumu Tsubaki, Representative Partner of Asia Africa Investment and Consulting (AAIC), as a guest speaker and held a discussion on the theme with 100 participants, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.

2nd Africa Policy Panel: Russia's Expanding Presence in Africa: Current Situation and Challenges

The Panel welcomed as guest speakers Dmitry Streltsov, Head of the Department of Asian and African Studies at MGIMO University, and Yoko Hirose, Professor at Keio University. They held a discussion on the theme with 50 participants, including Chair Mitsugi Endo.

1st Africa Policy Panel: Africa in the Post-COVID Era: What Japan Can Do Now

With the cooperation of the Research Center for African Studies, The University of Tokyo, among others, the Global Forum of Japan held the 1st Africa Policy Panel, "Africa in the Post-COVID Era: What Japan Can Do Now," online in Tokyo on December 11, 2020.