TICAD Meeting to Start in Yokohama on Sat.

Tokyo, May 30 (Jiji Press)--The fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD V, will begin in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on Saturday, bringing together heads of some 40 African countries. The event, held every five years, comes at a time when Japan, the host of TICAD, hopes to take advantage of rapid economic growth in Africa and counter China's increasing influence on the continent through its aid and investment. In TICAD V, the main purpose for Japan is to win more investment and trade opportunities in Africa by treating African states as business partners, rather than recipients of aid. A Yokohama 2013 declaration and an action plan will be issued to wrap up the three-day conference. On the sidelines, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings with African leaders. Abe met with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on Thursday. The two agreed to begin preliminary talks between the two countries to conclude a bilateral investment pact. On Friday, Abe is slated to agree on such a deal with Mozambique. The Japanese government hopes to help Japanese companies win interests in natural resources development projects in Africa, as Japanese companies are falling behind their Chinese and European rivals. A special conference on Somalia will also be held on Friday to hail the legitimate government that was launched in September last year after more than 20 years of anarchy. END