Japan between the Global North and the Global South: Tokyo's Foreign Policy Priorities by Region and Level of Development in 2013-2025

In this article, the author analyzes the dynamics of international visits by Japanese prime ministers to identify the most frequently visited continent/region. The aim of the work is to highlight the most and least popular destinations for Japanese leaders' visits to determine Japan's interest in contacts with both developed and developing countries. Initially, it was presumed that over the years, Japanese leaders would increasingly visit developing countries of the Global South due to the rapid growth of nations in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. However, the conducted research revealed that the most popular destinations for Japanese leaders have been and remain Western countries, particularly in Europe. The second most popular vector for international visits is Asian. Japanese leaders regularly visit ASEAN countries. The Middle East is visited irregularly by Japanese government heads, as are Latin American countries. The African continent is the least popular. Over 12 years, Japanese leaders have visited only 4 African countries. The main tool for studying the visits of Japanese leaders was quantitative analysis. The foreign trips considered were from 2013 to 2025. The author included only bilateral visits, as this format of interaction between leaders most clearly reflects one country's leadership interest in another. The novelty of the work lies in the analysis of foreign visits by Japanese leaders in terms of the most popular continents and regions. Based on the obtained results, it is mathematically proven that Japan tends to prioritize contacts with developed countries, while developing nations play a secondary role. The results can be useful for both theorists and practitioners in international relations. The area of application includes foreign policy agencies, educational institutions, and consulting agencies. The main conclusion can be formulated as follows: despite the rise of the Global South and the world's majority, Japan still focuses on political contacts primarily with developed post-industrial powers of the West. This is confirmed by the fact that Japanese leaders are more willing to engage with heads of state and government in developed Western countries, while their interactions with colleagues from the South and East are more rare and episodic.