Japan occupies a prominent place in the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem, with a large fleet of industrial robots. At the same time, the development of humanoid robots such as Pepper (SoftBank), designed to interact with human emotions, has marked the social appropriation of AI (Japan Society, 2019), while ASIMO (Honda) illustrates advanced mobility and domestic assistance capabilities.[1] Added to this are service robots, such as Toyota’s Human Support Robot, dedicated to the well-being of the elderly.[2] At the same time, Japan has established guidelines articulating secure, reliable, and human-centered AI governance.[3] These elements justify the interest in studying how this orientation determines technological cooperation in Africa, a continent where Internet access remains limited (45.6% penetration in 2023 in Cameroon).[4] By focusing on training and knowledge transfer from Japan to Africa, this research fills a gap by offering an integrated reading of the impact ... ... [Read more]

  Though you may be tempted to hear the word “diplomacy” and imagine leaders in stuffy suits shaking hands, their pictures forever inked unsmiling into even stuffier, impenetrable textbooks, the truth of cultural diplomacy, particularly coming out of Japan, is about as vibrant and bombastic as you can get. Owing much to Japanese cartoons (anime) and comic books (manga), cultural exchange between Japan and other nations is now a literal page-turner. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, record numbers of international athletes (think the US, Spain, Colombia, France, etc.) took to their events striking famous poses from One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Dragon Ball, and other legendary works from across Japan, drawing the cheers and applause of recognizant fans the world over.   During their modern origins post-WWII, anime and manga were inspired by classic western cartoons like Disney and Betty Boop. The tides have since turned. Now, ... ... [Read more]