President Ruto courts Japan, seeks balance in uneven trade
In a 20-minute Tuesday meeting in Yokohama, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed President William Ruto's return to Japan and praised Kenya as a "like-minded country" aligned with Tokyo's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision.
Kenya and Japan used the opening of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) to reaffirm a six-decade partnership, pledging fresh cooperation on ports, trade, and global governance.
In a 20-minute Tuesday meeting in Yokohama, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed President William Ruto's return to Japan and praised Kenya as a "like-minded country" aligned with Tokyo's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision.
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He announced grant aid for the expansion of the Port of Mombasa and tied it to Japan's broader Indian Ocean-Africa Economic Zone Initiative. For Kenya, the port deal is both a lifeline and leverage.
Mombasa serves as the region's primary maritime hub and gateway to East and Central Africa, making Japan's infrastructure footprint strategically significant.
Ishiba also highlighted progress on manufacturing and skills development in the automotive industry, while noting a yen-denominated loan backed by Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI).
But the trade ledger remains lopsided. President Ruto reminded Tokyo that while bilateral trade surged 33 per cent in 2024, "the relationship is heavily in favour of Japan."
In remarks posted on X, he pressed for market access for Kenyan avocados and tea, urging Japan to dismantle tariff and non-tariff barriers.
"I expressed the need for Japan to deal with tariff and non-tariff barriers so that Kenyan agricultural produce can get more access to the Japanese market," Ruto said.
At the same time, Nairobi is keen to keep Japan on its side in multilateral diplomacy.
Both leaders committed to work jointly on United Nations Security Council reforms, a long-standing Kenyan demand and to respond to "various regional and international challenges."
Ruto also thanked Tokyo for its role in renewable energy and infrastructure development across Kenya. "Japan can tap into the many opportunities Kenya offers for the mutual benefit of our two countries and peoples."
For Ishiba, who only recently assumed the premiership, Kenya is a useful African anchor for FOIP at a time of intensifying great-power competition.
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