Washington, DC — Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has pledged to increase his country's aid to Africa to $5 billion over the next three years, according to the Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper.
"If there are countries that are suffering from various difficulties, I believe it is necessary that Japan provides support to them," Koizumi said.
Speaking during a press conference after the G8 Summit, Koizumi said his country's contribution has been declining. "In the 1990s, Japan's ODA (official development assistance) ranked number one in the world," he said. "At present, there is this recognition amongst the G8 countries that Africa is important and we therefore need to increase our assistance to Africa."
Aid to Africa was the top priority at the Gleneagles gathering earlier this month, where the world's most developed countries reiterated their commitment to end poverty in Africa. Koizumi said Japan would double total development assistance in the next five years to $20 billion dollars. Japan has already agreed to cancel $4.9 billion of debt owed by African countries.
Japan's current development aid is $8.9 billion, representing 0.19 percent of its GDP, according to Oxfam, an aid advocacy group. With the new pledge, Japan hopes to dedicate up to 0.7 percent of its GDP to foreign assistance, a target set for developed countries under the UN's Millennium Development Goals and pushed by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Japan has previously given most of its aid to poorer neighbors in Asia. The announcement of increased aid to Africa may signal a new commitment to poor countries outside Japan's direct sphere of influence.
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Koizumi's plan, which observers call a new 'Marshall' Plan for Africa, will take the form of grants and technical assistance to curb the spread of infectious diseases and promote agriculture and private sector development under the auspices of the Health and Development Initiative launched by the Japanese government last month.
Under this initiative, Japan's contribution to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria will be increased to $500 million in the coming years, according to a release from the Global Fund.
Koizumi said that 10 million insecticide-treated mosquito bed nets would be distributed by 2007 in an effort to fight against malaria.
The recently announced $5 billion will also serve to promote agriculture on the continent by supporting agricultural policies, agronomic research and the reinforcement of agricultural development systems.
According to a press release from the Japanese embassy to the United States, Japan also plans to take comprehensive measures to promote trade and investment in Africa by providing up to $1.2 billion in five years to encourage private entrepreneurship in partnership with the African Development Bank.
Koizumi has also announced his support for two permanent seats for African countries on the UN Security Council.
