YOKOHAMA — Japan aims to double its trade with Africa in five years as it seeks closer ties with resource-rich countries on the continent, trade minister Akira Amari said Thursday.
"With Africa's cooperation, we would like to double the trade between Japan and Africa," Amari said in a keynote speech to a symposium held on the sidelines of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development.
Simply boosting economic aid and investment in Africa — as promised Wednesday by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda — will not be sufficient, Amari said, calling for an increase in Japan's trade with the continent.