COVER STORY

September/October 2019 (ISSUE 227) VOLUME 38 No.5

White Paper on
InternationalEconomy &Trade 2019White Paper on International
Economy & Trade 201931 White Paper on International Economy &Trade 2019 – Summary

By Policy Planning & Research Office, Trade Policy Bureau,
Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI)

18 2 Roundtable with Dr. Satoshi Inomata, Masashi Kurose,
Michitaka Nakatomi & Dr. Shujiro Urata

Roundtable Discussion on a Rules-Based
Global Economy
By Japan SPOTLIGHT

SPECIAL TOPICS

Partnership Between Africa & Japan
25 1 Achieving Geopolitical Stability & Enhanced

Growth Potential in Africa: Focus on TICAD
VII’s Strategic Role & the Indo-Pacific Initiative
By Herinjatovo Aimé Ramiarison

C O N T E N T S
1

PUBLISHER’S NOTEIs Globalization Under Threat?
By Kazumasa Kusaka

2

COVER LEAD

White Paper on International Economy &Trade 2019
By Naoyuki Haraoka

3

COVER STORY

25 SPECIAL TOPICS
SPECIAL ARTICLE

54 1 Mutual Understanding & Historical Reconciliation
Between Japan & China
By Jie Liu

58 2 A Global Tsunami of Populism?
By Jan-Werner Mueller

62 3 The Key to Success – Collating Information &Connecting It to Business
By Mukesh Williams66 FILM REVIEW
Lessons of Les Grands Esprits for a Diverse Society
By Naoyuki Haraoka

68 STUDENT VIEW
Acceptance of Islamic Culture in Japan
By Parveen Begum

70 ECONOMIC INDICATORS FOR JAPANStandard Revision for Services Producer Price Index
By Nobuo Iizuka

NEXT ISSUE
Our Nov./Dec. 2019 issue highlights “The Role of Economics inRising Geopolitical Instability”. A number of distinguishedeconomists will give their views on how economics could stop theglobal economy falling into recession due to unstable geopolitics.
Our next issue will be published on our website on Nov. 10, 2019.

30 2 Interview with H. E. Mr. Kassa T. Gebrehiwet, Ambassadorof the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to Japan

New Ethiopian Government PursuingCollaboration with Japanese Businesses
By Japan SPOTLIGHT

34 3 Interview with H. E. Mr. Ahmed Araïta Ali, Ambassador ofthe Republic of Djibouti to Japan

Djibouti Pursuing Partnerships withJapanese Business
By Japan SPOTLIGHT

38 4 Achievements of the ABE Initiative & theVoices of Africans
By Yukifumi Takeuchi

43 5 Interview with Nico de Wet from South Africa working at theGlobal Business Division of SoftBank Corp’s Enterprise Unit

Bridging Africa & Japan – Entrepreneurial
Engagement for a Young African
By Japan SPOTLIGHT

47 6 Interview with Juvencia Deschamps Ralay Harisoa fromMadagascar working as an intern for GPSS Holdings Inc. in Japan

Learning Management Will Help Bridge
Madagascar & JapanBy Japan SPOTLIGHT

50 7 Interview with Masaki Nishioka, Chairman, & Hiroyuki
Gonda, President, of Hiroki Co., Ltd.

Transferring Japanese Craftsmanship toEthiopia – Hiroki Leather Fashion Company
By Japan SPOTLIGHT

Publication date: September 10, 2019 (Published on the 10th of every odd month)
Publisher: Kazumasa Kusaka, Chairman & CEO, Japan Economic Foundation (JEF)
Editor-in-Chief: Naoyuki Haraoka
Editorial Staff: Masako Watanabe, Asuka Niwa
Design: PRITECH Co., Ltd.

https://www.jef.or.jp/journal/Copyright ©1982-2019 Japan Economic Foundation. All rights reserved.
Materials may not be reproduced without written permission.

The opinions expressed in the articles published in Japan SPOTLIGHT are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Japan Economic Foundation.