What Africa can learn from Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (By Seifudein Adem-Mail & Guardian)
- Vick Ssali
- 14 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Editor's Note:
No Shortcuts for Africa’s Political Renewal
Africa stands at a crossroads. Across much of the continent, political life remains trapped in a cycle of predictable dysfunction: staged and manipulated elections, persecution of opposition colleagues, leaders clinging to power for decades, and political institutions hollowed out by personalised rule. These habits are not isolated pathologies—they constitute a dominant political culture that must be confronted head-on. Without deep political reform, Africa risks remaining mired in perpetual political, economic, and social quagmire, along with the human insecurities that follow.
In a timely analysis recently published in The Mail & Guardian, Seifudein Adem—founding Board Member of the Japan Society for Afrasian Studies (JSAS)—argues that Japan’s contemporary political culture offers important lessons for Africa. The scenes surrounding Sanae Takaichi’s rise as Japan’s first female prime minister in 2025, including her inclusive leadership style, symbolic acts of reconciliation, strategic moderation, and cultural self-confidence, illuminate what political maturity can look like in practice.
Adem reminds us that while Africa must solve its own problems in its own way, it cannot avoid the hard work of institutionalizing accountability, embracing inclusive governance, and cultivating political norms that transcend personal rule. Japan’s political culture is not a model to copy, but it is a mirror—showing what is possible when political actors prioritise continuity over revenge, cooperation over zero-sum factionalism, and national stability over personal ambition. Without such a transformation, there will be no shortcut for Africa to put its political house in order.
Here is the link to the article originally published in the opinion column of Mail & Guardian on 13 November 2025.
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