By IPS Correspondents
BERLIN, Jun 8 2008 (IPS)

The state of the world economy will as usual top the agenda of the G8 summit of major western industrial nations. But Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who will chair the high-level gathering, is keen to devote equal attention to climate change and the development of Africa.

Shigeyuki Hiroki Credit:

The Japanese Prime Minister assured 40 African heads of state and government in bilateral meetings that he would convey their concerns and wishes to the G8 (the eight most industrialised nations, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the United States, Canada, Russia and Japan), Shigeyuki Hiroki, deputy director-general for international cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told IPS European director Ramesh Jaura around the TICAD meetings.

Some excerpts from the interview:

IPS: What does your Prime Minister plan to do for Africa at the G8 summit?

Shigeyuki Hiroki (SH): Our Prime Minister will inform other participants what Japan is going to do, namely to double our ODA to Africa to 1.8 billion dollars by 2012 in the next five years. He will also convey to the other heads of state and government the wishes the African leaders expressed (at TICAD IV) in Yokohama. Development and climate change are two crucial issues.

SH: We are inviting a group of eight comprising South Africa, Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and the African Union (AU) to discuss with the G8 leaders the issues concerning African development.

IPS: What about the O5 (Outreach 5) invited by Germany last year at the Heiligendamm (G8) summit?

SH: We are extending that group to eight and have invited Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Korea and South Africa. This group will focus on climate change in discussions with the G8.

IPS: Japan lags far behind other industrial nations and provides only 0.17 percent of its Gross National Income (GNI) as ODA (official development assistance). Have you set a timetable to reach the UN target of 0.7 percent? Do you see any possibility of your Prime Minister announcing at the G8 summit that Japan will increase its ODA to at least 0.3 percent by 2015, the deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)?

SH: Ours is a step-by-step approach. We say only things that we can really deliver. We are not sure what is going to happen in our ODA programme by 2015. So we would like to double our ODA to Africa in the next five years by 2012. And then we will see how much we have achieved. Our GNI might have changed by that time and we might have to adjust our programme. We would very much like to move towards 0.7 percent as soon as we can. But we don't announce in advance to do something by 2000 plus or so that we do not know whether we can or not. It is not our way of approaching the issue.

IPS: Is it a part of the problem that in Japan there is no tradition of charities as in Britain or other European countries?

SH: No I don't think so. A large number of Japanese people have come up with donations for people who are suffering from the natural disasters in China and Myanmar. So I think the spirit is the same in Japan as elsewhere, the spirit of helping people in dire need wherever they might be.

IPS: What would you describe as the major outcome of TICAD IV, the fourth round of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development?

SH: First, ownership and partnership are the two main pillars of the TICAD process that has been under way since 1993. In TICAD IV we have confirmed the validity of this concept.

Second, we could get together and discuss the food crisis that is of critical interest to many African developing countries. We came to the conclusion – as stated in the final documents, and addressed by the Prime Minister in the Chairman's summary – that it is a pressing challenge calling for urgent attention.

Third, African countries came to realise the gravity of global warming. Many countries appreciated Japan's efforts towards a Cool Earth Partnership. Our Prime Minister announced a 10 billion dollar programme for the coming five years. Since many African countries have a very difficult time to adapt to climate change we hope to be in a position to provide the bulk of the money to ameliorate their situation.

IPS: African countries are complaining that it is a global fund and that it would be absorbed by the larger economies, particularly in Asia.

SH: The first important step is that they join us in this partnership – in fact many African countries showed interest in this partnership. And then we will move on to the next stage. I am very sure that many African countries can benefit from this partnership.

IPS: Did I understand you right that before TICAD IV many African countries did not realise the seriousness of the situation arising from global warming?

SH: The point is that while they are – and were – aware of the gravity of the situation, TICAD IV has shown them the way forward to concrete measures to cope with the problem by themselves. Desertification, for example, is an extremely serious problem. The Cool Earth Partnership provides a way out of a difficult situation.

IPS: What distinguishes the Cool Earth Partnership from other existing programmes?

SH: The purpose of the Cool Earth Partnership is that development must go in tandem with environmental protection. So we are not questioning the wishes of African countries to develop as long as they come along with the idea of this tandem approach.

IPS: The Irish celebrity Bono of the rock band U2 has been criticising the Japanese government for misleading the public while declaring that ODA to Africa will be doubled to 1.8 billion dollars in the next five years by 2012.

SH: We have contacted Mr. Bono. He wants Japan to provide a leadership role on the road to African development. We would like to promote the idea of providing enough support for African development. We have committed ourselves to what we can deliver. And Mr. Bono understands the importance of our commitment, and we will deliver what we have promised. We have abided by our commitments during the entire TICAD process in the previous 15 years. And we will do so in the next five years.

IPS: To what extent has TICAD IV helped change the basic attitude of an average Japanese towards Africa or to the developing countries?

SH: The Japanese people feel a much stronger commitment towards Africa. Africa has been on the TV, radio and in newspapers everyday throughout the month of May. That made the Japanese public understand and appreciate the problems and hopes of the African people. That made a big change to the image of Africa in the minds of average Japanese people.

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