Japanese investment could reshape daily life in South Africa

For ordinary South Africans, the flow of Japanese money into the country touches the systems they depend on every day: the ports and railways that move goods, the power grid that keeps homes and workplaces running, and the water infrastructure that few people think about until it fails. Those are among the areas Japanese investors say they are now examining more closely, following renewed commitments made at the 2026 Japan and Africa investment forum in Johannesburg.

The forum, organised by Standard Bank and Mizuho Bank, focused on the trends, opportunities, innovations and financing that shape the future of trade and investment between Japan and the continent. Masahiko Ejima, a Senior Executive Officer at Mizuho Bank, said the interest from Japanese companies spans energy, infrastructure and technology.

“We also talked about infrastructure. Like, for example, ports, rails, roads. I think these will be critical areas that Japanese technology and infrastructure capabilities can support development of this key infrastructure project. We talked about water as well. So but not limited to that,” Ejima said. He noted that the automobile industry was also represented, with Toyota among the participants, and pointed to the consumer side of a growing population: “I think the B2C element is not to be forgotten. I think there was discussion about food, beverage, you know, daily products, which is also, I think, very significant on the back of the population growth.”

The stakes for the broader public are significant. Standard Bank’s Zoya Sisulu argued that the country can reach 3.5% economic growth and positive investment grades through meaningful partnerships, with the private sector playing a key role. She stressed that the need for investment across the continent is too large for any single player.

“The requirement of investment on the continent is massive, and no one, not one institution, and not one country can do that alone. And so it’s important to attract investment, and it’s important to set fertile ground, to make Africa, South Africa, and all the countries across continent attractive from an investment perspective,” Sisulu said. She pointed to “positive momentum from a macro reform perspective” as the opening through which Japanese capital and industrial capability could arrive on the continent.

That reform agenda sits with the government, which frames the work as a duty to citizens rather than a favour to investors. Rudi Dicks of the presidency said South Africa has been working on reforms in key areas of the economy and that other nations have taken notice, with Japan involved in some of those investments.

“There’s also the logistics space, right? I think many of the firms are quite easy in looking at what are the reform opportunities that are there around the concessioning in the ports, for example, or investments in rail. And then again, I think a lot of the firms continue to look at our mineral assets,” Dicks said.

Japan, meanwhile, has a standing interest in holding its position as South Africa’s fifth-largest trade partner and seventh-largest investor, and it is looking at opportunities in trade, investments and business partnerships between the two nations. Shintaro Matoba of the Japan External Trade Organisation argued that the partnership should run in both directions, with local businesses also encouraged to consider investing in Japan.

“We need to diversify our relations, not just providing natural resources and just importing the resources but we need to, strengthen this relations especially with the uncertain, situation, all over the world,” Matoba said. “So we would like to see the South African presence in Japan.” He pointed to agricultural products, tourism and the country’s advanced technology sector, including startups, IT businesses and digital enterprises, as areas of promise.

The gathering in Johannesburg also featured panel discussions on new pathways, growth and policy developments that could deepen trade and investment between Africa and Japan. For now, the measure of those commitments will be whether they translate into working ports, reliable power and water systems, and jobs that ordinary South Africans can feel in their daily lives.