African development conference opens in Japan

A Japan-led global conference on African development has opened in Yokohama, near Tokyo. Ahead of its opening on Wednesday, Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attended a forum, organized by the publisher of the Nikkei newspaper.

He pointed out that an economic zone spanning the Indian Ocean and Africa is attracting renewed attention as a region with a young population, abundant energy resources and high growth potential. He vowed to help boost growth there by enhancing interregional connectivity and promoting trade and investment.  To this end, he proposed an initiative to build an economic zone stretching from India through the Middle East to the African continent.