According to DW News, Japan has pledged billions in aid to Africa. Tokyo is seeking to tap into the continent's vast resources and secure contracts for energy and mineral rights.

CEOAFRICA News Desk, in accordance with the DW News, reported that during last weekend's Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), Prime Minister Shinzo Abe  pledged African leaders 3.2 trillion yen (about 32 billion US dollars) in public and private support to help growth on the continent and encourage Japanese firms to invest there over the next five years.

The package unveiled before representatives from 51 African nations as well as representatives from the United Nations and World Bank, includes $14 billion in official development aid and a $6.5 billion support to help with infrastructure. "What Africa needs now is private-sector investment," said Abe in Yokohama, adding that the cooperation between public organizations and private companies leverages such investment.

However, Japan is still trying to match China’s influence in Africa. CEOAFRICA News Desk, according to DW News, made it clear that Beijing's more aggressive approach, driven largely by heavy investment, has given it five times the trading volume and eight times the direct investment. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), China's trade receipts with the African continent reached 138.6 billion US dollars last year far outstripping the 30-billion-dollar bilateral trade partnership between Japan and Africa.