This paper presents a synthesis of ODI work, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), intended to help stakeholders in Japan to understand better the UK's '2005 agenda' on Africa and to start to outline the potential implications for Japan, JICA in particular. The paper outlines the UK's '2005 Agenda' on Africa: the key issues that will inform the UK's dual presidency in 2005 of the G8 and the EU. It assesses the perspectives of France, Germany and the EU on these issues, along with areas of agreement and momentum versus areas of divergence. It concludes with the implications for Japan: the key decisions for 2005 and the implications for reform in the longer term.