Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) began in 1954. In the early years, as it also served the role of war reparations, ODA to Asia accounted for 94.4% of the total in the 1970s. Since the 1990s, its regional distribution has changed; by 2015, ODA to Asia had fallen to 52.8%, while ODA to Africa increased to account for 15.6% that same year. As the Japanese government came to place greater importance on Africa, in 1993 it launched the African Development Conference (TICAD：Tokyo International Conference on African Development). TICAD can be seen as reflecting a shift in ODA toward Africa, and through this conference I would like to examine how ODA to Africa has been covered in the Japanese media.

Press conference at TICAD V Photo: TICAD V Photographs [CC BY-ND 2.0]

What is TICAD?

First, let’s take a quick look at TICAD. TICAD is an international conference led primarily by the Government of Japan that brings together heads of state and others from African countries to discuss Africa’s development. The United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP：United Nations Development Programme), the African Union Commission (AUC：African Union Commission), and the World Bank serve as co-organizers. It is positioned as the largest international conference hosted by the Japanese government. Up through TICAD V in 2013, the conference was held in Japan every five years (1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013), but starting with the sixth conference it has been held every three years, alternating between Japan and Africa. TICAD VI (2016) was held in Nairobi, Kenya.

Volume of coverage on TICAD

So, how much attention did TICAD receive from the Japanese media? This time we examined the Yomiuri Shimbun, which has the largest circulation among Japanese newspapers. Coverage was divided into three stages: the preparatory phase before the conference (the two weeks prior to the event), during the conference, and the post-conference phase (the two weeks after it ended), including wrap-ups.

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As the graph above shows, from TICAD I through TICAD III, both the number of related articles and the total characters were very low, indicating that the Yomiuri Shimbun had little interest in TICAD. However, beginning with TICAD IV (2008), the volume of coverage increased substantially, and interest remained high for TICAD V (2013). This appears to be related to economic growth in Africa that began attracting attention in the 2000s. Africa has been called the “last frontier” of the global economy, and inward investment increased. That said, interest dropped sharply for TICAD VI, held in 2016, ending at roughly the same level of coverage as TICAD II. This may be partly related to the slowdown in economic growth in Africa. It can also be said that a major factor was that, for the first time, TICAD was held not in Japan but in Africa (Kenya). Japanese news outlets have few correspondents stationed in Africa, and major newspapers, including the Yomiuri Shimbun, do not have correspondents in Kenya. As a result, long-term reporting becomes costly and the number of staff who can be dispatched decreases. Compared with TICADs held in Japan, the reporting setup likely differed greatly.

From social coverage to economic coverage

Next, let’s look at the content of these TICAD-related articles. While TICAD focuses on “Africa’s development,” “development” is broad, encompassing aspects such as poverty reduction as well as overall economic growth. Moreover, beyond Africa’s development, there have been many voices inside and outside government seeking benefits for Japan through this conference; as Africa’s economy grew, one could say TICAD’s nature came to reflect these voices. How was this tendency reported in the Yomiuri Shimbun?

We categorized and analyzed the themes covered in articles about TICAD. The graph below summarizes changes in the most prominent themes.

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Although coverage from TICAD I to III was limited, issues important in traditional development assistance—poverty, education, and health care—were prominently featured. In particular, TICAD III took place against the backdrop of the United Nations’ 2000 adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs：Millennium Development Goals), and these social issues drew attention. However, by TICAD IV in 2008, interest in reporting, in step with the Japanese government’s focus, shifted from social issues centered on the poor to Africa as seen from Japan’s business community. With Africa experiencing economic growth in the 2000s, it came to be valued as a place of business opportunities for Japanese companies, and both the content of TICAD and the coverage reflected this trend. By TICAD VI, crucial social issues such as poverty scarcely appeared in the Yomiuri Shimbun.

The President of Senegal speaking at TICAD VI Photo: World Bank Photo Collection [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

Security Council reform and China move to the center of coverage

Furthermore, among the notable thematic changes in articles about TICAD are “Security Council reform” and “China.” In particular, these keywords had the largest share of appearances at TICAD VI. First, although “Security Council reform” is not directly related to TICAD as a forum to discuss Africa’s development, it has consistently appeared as a related theme from TICAD I through VI. For Japan, which has aimed to become a permanent member of the Security Council, there is great significance in inviting and engaging with more than 50 African leaders. To realize Security Council reform, many votes from UN member states are required, and African countries account for a quarter of UN members. The connection with “Security Council reform” was particularly prominent at TICAD VI.

Also, “China” became a major focus in coverage of TICAD. “China” began appearing in article content from TICAD IV, and by TICAD VI its share jumped to more than eight times, far exceeding coverage of African social issues. “China” became the most highlighted theme at TICAD VI. Behind this are the rapid expansion of Chinese companies into Africa and the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), launched in 2000. Regarding China, both the Japanese government and news organizations appear to view it in relation to Japan’s economic strategy and security challenges.

Thus, analyzing themes by TICAD shows that the content of coverage shifted from socially oriented topics to economically oriented ones (especially from the perspective of the Japanese business community), and further, attention moved to themes such as China and Security Council reform. In other words, coverage places greater importance on Africa’s significance for Japan than on Africa’s own development as a theme. This trend in coverage reflects both the priorities of the Japanese government, which hosts TICAD, and the interests of Japanese companies, and highlights the basic media orientation of “domestic-centrism.”

Working mother (Burkina Faso) Hector Conesa/Shutterstock.com

The 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VII) is scheduled to be held in 2019 in Yokohama. As global disparities widen, Africa’s economic growth also appears to be stagnating. As long as the continent remains a supplier of natural resources needed by other countries, improvement seems unlikely, and development challenges for Africa remain substantial.

It may be necessary to view Africa from the standpoint of Japan’s interests and perspectives, but if that becomes the center of coverage, we cannot understand the development issues Africa faces. So long as TICAD is described as an “international conference on the theme of Africa’s development,” news organizations need to reconsider their reporting on African development. We hope TICAD VII will become a new turning point.

Writer: Sooyeon Kim