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Tokyo (AFP) April 28, 2010 Japan will stress its commitment to African development at an aid meeting of about 50 countries in Tanzania from Sunday as China's influence on the continent grows rapidly, Japanese officials say. But Tokyo can see it is already being outgunned in the scramble for influence in Africa by China's diplomatic muscle, investment funding and sheer numbers of people on the ground, Japan's diplomats said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada was to leave Wednesday ahead of the two-day Arusha conference, the second follow-up event to the 2008 Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development (Ticad) after a 2009 Botswana conference. Before the meeting, he will visit South Africa Thursday and Friday. "Okada has decided to visit Africa primarily to tell African leaders that Japan's commitment remains very firm vis a vis Africa's development," said Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Kazuo Kodama in a media briefing. On his first Africa visit since taking his post, Okada "will announce that Japan is on track to achieve its declared goal of doubling Japan's ODA (official development assistance) to Africa by 2012", said Kodama. Japan two years ago pledged to raise aid to Africa to 1.8 billion dollars by 2012. It gave 1.75 billion dollars that year and 1.65 billion dollars last year, said Asako Okai, director of the ministry's Second Africa Division. Resource-poor Japan, Asia's largest economy, and its rising rival China are in harsh competition for influence and resources, including minerals and energy, from Africa, where Beijing's presence has grown sharply. "Out of the 53 countries on the continent, we have an embassy in 31 countries," said Okai. "China has 46 or 48 embassies." The population giant is also ahead of Japan in terms of people on the ground, the Japanese diplomat said, with 800,000 to one million Chinese believed to be on the continent compared to no more than 7,000 Japanese. Before visiting Tanzania, Okada will head to South Africa Thursday and Friday to mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
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