Ever since then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled his Indo-Pacific vision, much of the geographic focus has been on India.
That is understandable since the very notion of the Indo-Pacific emphasized the extension of the Asia-Pacific to India, and its logic rested on the inclusion of that regional power as a geopolitical counterbalance to China.
Understandable, perhaps, but it was mistaken. As important as India in this plan is Africa. Historically undervalued in Tokyo’s foreign policy, Africa is becoming an increasingly important element of Japanese strategy. It is a work in progress, but it is proceeding. And the pace is accelerating.
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