Japan plans to hold in late March a ministerial-level followup meeting to the major conference on African development it hosted earlier this year, government sources said.
Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone hopes to attend the event, to be cohosted by other countries, in Botswana to highlight the steady support Japan is offering ahead of 2012, the target year for an assistance plan compiled at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development held in Yokohama in May.
By stressing Japan's contribution, Nakasone hopes to win support from African countries for Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.
A working-level meeting of TICAD will be held in Tokyo in February to work out an annual report on the progress made in areas to support African countries. Based on the report, the ministerial meeting is expected to discuss implementation of TICAD's assistance plan.