ABSTRACT
Eastern Africa is one of the most contested zones in the vast Indo-Pacific region. It is here that the collision of Japan’s Indo-Pacific vision and China’s Belt and Road Initiative is most apparent. This vast region stretching north from Mozambique to Djibouti is also a zone of high contestation between medium and small powers. Yet eastern Africa is often ignored and misunderstood by policymakers and scholars alike. It is within this contextual setting that the chapter describes, defines and analyzes Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision as it relates to this complex region. It finds that Tokyo’s perception of a zero-sum game of influence with its strategic competitor, China, in eastern Africa informs its renewed interest in the region. Japan’s recent engagements in states like Kenya and Mozambique differ markedly from past decades in that they increasingly rely on the actions of private enterprise. Indeed, Japanese foreign policy in the region is largely driven by Japanese businesses and consulting firms rather than Tokyo’s government ministries. Yet while an increased appetite for risk is apparent among Japanese multinational conglomerates, they continue to rely on the Japanese government for funding and loans, thus hampering their effectiveness as agents of Japanese power in the region.
