H.E. Ambassador Hiroshi Matsuura: Japan and Africa

Japan and Africa meet at a critical moment in a changing world. One is navigating demographic pressure, technological transition and a complex security environment. The other is rising in strategic importance as the global order shifts toward multipolarity.

In this episode of Panel 54, hosts Waweru Njoroge and Ndu Okoh sit down with His Excellency Ambassador Hiroshi Matsuura, Japan’s Ambassador to Kenya, to explore the future of Japan Africa relations beyond aid and assistance.

The conversation traces Japan’s six decade partnership with Kenya and the continent, from early development cooperation to today’s focus on industrialisation, technology transfer and human capital. Ambassador Matsuura reflects on Kenya’s transformation over the last twenty five years, the role of trust in long term diplomacy, and why Japan sees Africa as a partner in solving global challenges rather than a recipient of charity.

They unpack trade imbalances, Japanese investment in manufacturing, geothermal energy at Olkaria, climate resilience, innovation hubs, and the growing importance of AI and digital technologies. The discussion also widens to geopolitics, examining Japan’s position in a multipolar world, its alliance with the United States, the Indo Pacific framework, and how Africa can use shifting alliances to pursue strategic autonomy.

From samurai bonds and development finance to cultural exchange, values and legacy, this episode asks a central question. Can Japan and Africa build a generational partnership that moves from infrastructure to innovation and from aid to agency?

Lagos to Lamu. Cape Town to Cairo. A global perspective through an African lens.

📩 Let’s talk: ⁠[e-mail]⁠ 🎙 Recorded on location in Nairobi, Kenya 🎧 Produced by Commex Africa and E & C Talent