The Japanese government decides on the first policy of partnership with the Global South; Focuses on ODA programs and critical minerals

The government launched its first policy on strengthening partnership with emerging and developing countries of the Global South on Tuesday at a meeting with relevant ministries and agencies at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Under this policy, members of the Global South will become partners in creating the economic society of the future, and the government will support companies taking action in these countries in areas such as artificial intelligence and decarbonization. The government will also build a framework for new overseas development assistance (ODA) that will be able to mobilize private funds.

“We will continue multi-level cooperation (with these countries) and lead the movements of the international community away from divisions and conflicts towards harmony,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said during the meeting.

This policy shows Japan’s concern about actions aimed at deepening divisions and conflicts in the international community as a result of, for example, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and that cooperation with the Global South is desirable primarily to solve problems and conflicts on a global scale.

As critical minerals such as gallium are essential for the production of strategic and important products such as semiconductors and batteries, the policy recognizes that every step, from the extraction of such minerals to the production of final products, must be handled with care. The policy also says Japan should build relationships with countries in the Global South so that those countries choose it as a partner.

More specifically, the policy will cover actions in eight categories, such as: 1) support for companies with their facilities and equipment; 2) development and modernization of ODA programs; 3) deepening the cultivation of human resources and cultural exchange; and 4) the use of official security assistance, including the free provision of defense equipment to the armed forces of countries that share the same values ​​as Japan.

In terms of support for companies, the policy clearly states that it will be implemented in areas such as artificial intelligence, green transformation, energy, digitalization, critical minerals, transport, semiconductors and next-generation vehicles. An example of the expected support will be assistance in the construction of a hydrogen production plant.

When it comes to ODA, the policy refers to the construction of a new mechanism of international cooperation, including a fundamental re-evaluation of the system, including: by mobilizing private funds.