TOKYO (AFP) -- Japan will hold a major conference on African development this week amid growing competition with its regional rivals for influence in the poverty-stricken but resource-rich continent.

With China and India seeking to forge closer ties with the region and secure commodities to fuel their economic booms, the event is seen as a key opportunity for Japan to maintain its diplomatic clout.
Japan has invited 52 African countries to the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV), which it hosts every five years along with the United Nations, the World Bank and other organizations.
Presidents, vice presidents or prime ministers from 44 African countries are expected to attend the meeting Wednesday to Friday in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, including Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir and South African President Thabo Mbeki.
Talks will focus on how to tackle food shortages, boost economic growth and reduce poverty.
Japan has long used aid as a key diplomatic tool. It was the world's top donor in 1991, but its overall assistance is slipping as the debt-laden country tightens its belt.
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is expected to formally announce plans at the conference to double Japan's financial assistance to Africa by 2012.
""We must bring more fresh money to help African partners,"" said Masato Kitera, director general for African affairs at Japan's Foreign Ministry.
Japan hopes to use some of its overseas development aid (ODA) to spur badly needed private-sector interest in the war-ravaged continent.
Japanese companies ""may hesitate to invest in Africa, judging the risk or the cost as too high,"" Kitera told AFP. ""The Japanese ODA can reduce the risk or cost of the private sector going to Africa.""
The event, which is expected to draw 2,500 participants including nongovernmental organizations, comes as Japan looks to boost its diplomatic profile ahead of this year's Group of Eight summit which it will host in July.
Gaining support from African countries, which account for about 30 percent of the world's nations, is key for Japan to achieve its diplomatic goals, such as a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, officials said.
On the back of surging prices of raw materials and commodities, some African countries have enjoyed rapid economic growth in recent years.
Energy-hungry emerging economies are pursuing active diplomacy with Africa. China since 2000 has held its own triennial African development conference, while India in April held its first-ever summit with 14 African countries.
""Strengthening ties with Africa is also important in the context of international competition over Africa for production of raw materials and potential markets,"" another Foreign Ministry official told AFP.
Japan needs supplies of precious metals from Africa for use in electronic goods such as digital cameras and mobile telephones.
Tokyo will also use the conference to keep up the pressure on African countries to respect human rights and attempt to stamp out corruption.
The key to its success ""hinges on the details of what is achieved, especially in the field of democratization and good governance, the hottest issue among donor countries,"" said Africa expert Shinichi Takeuchi.
Fukuda's talks with Sudan's leader on the Darfur conflict and peacekeeping after Sudan's north-south civil war would be crucial, said Takeuchi, head of African studies at the Institute of Developing Economies.
Japan is considering sending military personnel to a UN peacekeeping mission in southern Sudan, a sensitive issue given Tokyo's pacifist constitution.