Japan to set up 7 new diplomatic posts abroad, including 2 in Africa

The government plans to establish seven new diplomatic posts abroad, especially two embassies in Africa to underline its commitments ahead of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development next May, government officials said Sunday.
Government sources said the active Africa policy is also aimed at promoting diplomacy for natural resources and increasing the number of nations that will back Japan in its bid to become a permanent U.N. Security Council member. The embassies in Africa will be set up in Burkina Faso and Mauritania. The other five will be embassies in Latvia, Georgia and Tonga, and consulates general in Qingdao, China, and Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States.