Ishiba Brings Best of Japan, Africa Together at Banquet Dinner, Expresses Hope for ‘Harmonizing’

The Japan News

13:32 JST, August 22, 2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his wife Yoshiko on Thursday hosted a banquet dinner, which he described as “bringing together the best of Japan and Africa.”

The banquet, held in Yokohama as part of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, featured a menu created by Kihachi Kumagai, a renowned chef who has worked at the Japanese embassies in Senegal and Morocco.

Ishiba said the banquet also featured traditional music from Japan and Africa.

“Whether it be cuisine or music, I hope that Japan and Africa will harmonize to create wonderful moments,” Ishiba said.

At the banquet, Angolan President Joao Lourenco, chair of the African Union, also delivered remarks as the TICAD 9 co-chair.

Since this August marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Lourenco said the use of such weapons “must never be repeated, anywhere on Earth, for any reason whatsoever.”