Japanese prime minister in Uganda
IN May last year, on a private audience with President Museveni in Japan then Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda lightly bluffed off President Museveni’s invitation to him, to visit Uganda. “Uganda is too far,†he complained.
By Joe Nam
IN May last year, on a private audience with President Museveni in Japan then Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda lightly bluffed off President Museveni’s invitation to him, to visit Uganda. “Uganda is too far,†he complained.
Fukuda was meeting Museveni on the sidelines of the Japan Africa Conference TICAD IV in Yokohama City. Well, Fukuda arrived yesterday on a three-day visit to Uganda. He is here as Ambassador on a ‘Special Mission’ to meet President Museveni.
And this time round, it is reciprocity time for President Museveni to display Uganda’s famed hospitality to the man who hosted him and other African Heads of State during the Japan Africa Conference. So who is Yasuo Fukuda? Is he just a 73-year-old-man and former Japanese Prime Minister?
He is much more. Fukuda is the most senior Japanese politician yet, to visit Uganda. Born in July 16, 1936 in Takasaki Gunma in a local political family, Fukuda was the eldest son of Takeo Fukuda who later became the 67th Prime Minister of Japan.
Fukuda grew up in Tokyo, attending Azabu High School and graduating from Waseda University in 1959 with a degree in economics. He started his career as a corporate executive in an Oil company, even getting a posting to work in the US between 1962 – 1964.
While his father Takeo Fukuda was prime minister from 1976 to 1978, Yasuo became a political secretary to his father. In 1990, he ran for the House of Representatives and won a seat. He was elected deputy director of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 1997 and became chief cabinet secretary to prime minister Yoshiro Mori in October
2000.
In 2006, he was considered a contender for the leadership of the LDP, but he stood down for Shinzo Abe who succeeded Junichiro Koizumi as leader of the LDP and prime minister of Japan. Following Abe’s resignation in September 2007, Fukuda ran for the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election and was elected 91st prime minister of Japan in September 2007.
And so, what brings Fukuda to Africa? The Japan Embassy says he is on a ‘special mission’ to meet President Museveni. He will also sign important agreements with the finance ministry in regard to the construction of a research and training centre for rice growing, among other bilateral matters.
In a speech delivered at TICAD IV last year, Yasuo Fukuda committed the Japanese government to extending soft loans worth $4b and financial assistance totaling about $2.5b over the next five years to Africa.
Fukuda also committed Japan to establishing a fund at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation aimed at doubling investment in Africa. This visit signals a new emphasis on Africa in the Japanese foreign policy, which had hitherto dealt with Africa from a remote distance.
“The African Diplomatic Core in Tokyo made significant input into the making of TICAD IV a summit, whose outcome we are now seeing in follow up activity by the Japanese government,†said Uganda’s Ambassador to Japan, Wasswa Birigwa. Japan has long used aid as a key diplomatic instrument according to analysts. In addition to having the world’s second largest economy, Japan continues to be among the world’s top donors.
Analysts believe Japan is keen to secure her diplomatic clout in Africa in the face of aggressive courting of Africa by China and India, and also to secure access to vital minerals. Africa accounts for 89% of the world’s total reserves of platinum, 60% of its diamonds, 53% of the cobalt, 37% of the zirconium and 34% of the chrome, according to the Japanese foreign ministry.
The writer is a journalist
IN May last year, on a private audience with President Museveni in Japan then Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda lightly bluffed off President Museveni’s invitation to him, to visit Uganda. “Uganda is too far,†he complained.
Fukuda was meeting Museveni on the sidelines of the Japan Africa Conference TICAD IV in Yokohama City. Well, Fukuda arrived yesterday on a three-day visit to Uganda. He is here as Ambassador on a ‘Special Mission’ to meet President Museveni.
And this time round, it is reciprocity time for President Museveni to display Uganda’s famed hospitality to the man who hosted him and other African Heads of State during the Japan Africa Conference. So who is Yasuo Fukuda? Is he just a 73-year-old-man and former Japanese Prime Minister?
He is much more. Fukuda is the most senior Japanese politician yet, to visit Uganda. Born in July 16, 1936 in Takasaki Gunma in a local political family, Fukuda was the eldest son of Takeo Fukuda who later became the 67th Prime Minister of Japan.
Fukuda grew up in Tokyo, attending Azabu High School and graduating from Waseda University in 1959 with a degree in economics. He started his career as a corporate executive in an Oil company, even getting a posting to work in the US between 1962 – 1964.
While his father Takeo Fukuda was prime minister from 1976 to 1978, Yasuo became a political secretary to his father. In 1990, he ran for the House of Representatives and won a seat. He was elected deputy director of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 1997 and became chief cabinet secretary to prime minister Yoshiro Mori in October
2000.
In 2006, he was considered a contender for the leadership of the LDP, but he stood down for Shinzo Abe who succeeded Junichiro Koizumi as leader of the LDP and prime minister of Japan. Following Abe’s resignation in September 2007, Fukuda ran for the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election and was elected 91st prime minister of Japan in September 2007.
And so, what brings Fukuda to Africa? The Japan Embassy says he is on a ‘special mission’ to meet President Museveni. He will also sign important agreements with the finance ministry in regard to the construction of a research and training centre for rice growing, among other bilateral matters.
In a speech delivered at TICAD IV last year, Yasuo Fukuda committed the Japanese government to extending soft loans worth $4b and financial assistance totaling about $2.5b over the next five years to Africa.
Fukuda also committed Japan to establishing a fund at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation aimed at doubling investment in Africa. This visit signals a new emphasis on Africa in the Japanese foreign policy, which had hitherto dealt with Africa from a remote distance.
“The African Diplomatic Core in Tokyo made significant input into the making of TICAD IV a summit, whose outcome we are now seeing in follow up activity by the Japanese government,†said Uganda’s Ambassador to Japan, Wasswa Birigwa. Japan has long used aid as a key diplomatic instrument according to analysts. In addition to having the world’s second largest economy, Japan continues to be among the world’s top donors.
Analysts believe Japan is keen to secure her diplomatic clout in Africa in the face of aggressive courting of Africa by China and India, and also to secure access to vital minerals. Africa accounts for 89% of the world’s total reserves of platinum, 60% of its diamonds, 53% of the cobalt, 37% of the zirconium and 34% of the chrome, according to the Japanese foreign ministry.
The writer is a journalist