February 24, 2025
JOHANNESBURG – Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya called for enhanced cooperation between Japan and emerging and developing countries from the Global South at a Group of 20 foreign ministers meeting in Johannesburg on Thursday and Friday.
With U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio absent from the meeting, the Japanese government is playing a larger role in preventing Global South countries from leaning toward China and Russia.
On Friday morning, Iwaya emphasized that Japan intends to assist the Global South nations, many of which are G20 members, in disaster prevention and development of important mineral resources.
“Developed countries and other G20 countries, including those from the Global South, need to lead international collaboration,” Iwaya told reporters on Friday evening after completing his diplomatic schedule.
Iwaya held separate meetings in the intervals of the G20 meeting with his counterparts from South Africa, chair of the G20; Angola, chair of the African Union; and Brazil, a leading Global South nation. The purpose of the meetings was to deepen Japan’s friendly ties with each country.
Iwaya places importance on Global South nations, as the Japanese government is aiming to deter moves by China and Russia, which are raising their presence throughout the region.
With Rubio’s absence and the United States’ shrinking presence at G20, Japan’s role has become more prominent.
According to sources who accompanied Iwaya, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Political Bureau, emphasized the importance of the rule of law at a meeting on Thursday.
One of the sources said: “China is trying to play a central role in the international community in place of the United States. It’s aiming to exploit the space created by the United States’ absence.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov repeatedly criticized Western nations’ reactions to his country’s aggression against Ukraine, the sources said. It seems that Russia aims to legitimize the war and gain more support from other countries.
The Japanese government is scheduled to hold the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama in August, with the aim of strengthening ties with African countries in the Global South.