A two-day ministerial meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD, ended Sunday with the adoption of a joint communique aimed at strengthening collaboration toward next year's summit.

The first joint statement issued in a TICAD ministerial meeting stressed the importance of respecting compliance with international law and promoting the rule of law.

Gathered in Tokyo, ministers and minister-level officials from Japan and 41 African countries discussed a wide range of topics such as health, climate change and business. They agreed that reforming the U.N. Security Council is "indispensable for redressing historical injustices against Africa," according to the joint communique.

In an effort to bolster women's involvement in the security sector, the Japanese government will launch an initiative to nurture female personnel for engagement in peace-building efforts, with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a regional organization with a focus on Eastern African nations, serving as the base of such activities.

At a news conference after the end of the ministerial meeting, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said she hopes that the experiences and ideas shared at the meeting will be put into practice in each participant country and that the results of such efforts will be shared at the ninth TICAD summit, which will be held in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, in August 2025.

On the sidelines of the TICAD ministerial conference, Kamikawa held bilateral talks with representatives of 32 African countries, respectively.