African countries and Japan have a natural synergy. The continent has the world’s youngest population, with an average age of 17. The world’s fastest-growing economies and fastest-urbanising cities are all in Africa. But there is still a significant lack of investment, and poverty and underdevelopment plague many African nations.

Japan, the world’s third-biggest economy, is the world’s fastest ageing society, with more than 20% of its population older than 65. Nonetheless, Japan remains a capital-rich, innovative country with a population of about 110-million people, larger than the UK, France or Germany. Japan also has high rates of saving and its investors are seeking bankable business opportunities outside an economy racked by deflation...

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