This thesis examines Japan's engagement in Africa in the period 2008-2013 through analysis of relations with South Sudan. The study focuses on three dimensions of Japan's presence in South Sudan - Official Development Assistance, resource-focused investment and peacekeeping - as a lens through which to understand Japan's broader strategic objectives and tactical approaches towards engagement in Africa. The study examines the development and implementation of Japan's Africa policy through the theoretical framework of neoclassical realism, which incorporates both structural factors and intervening domestic considerations in explaining foreign policy outcomes. The thesis demonstrates that Japan's policies towards Africa have undergone a significant realignment in the years since 2008. In applying a neoclassical realist framework this study outlines the international structural drivers of Japan's engagement in Africa while also incorporating domestic considerations such as norms, and policymaker's perceptions in developing a theoretically-informed empirical analysis of Japan's presence in South Sudan. The study examines how efforts to re-invigorate the Japanese economy, secure resources, ensure energy security and respond to the rise of China are all reflected in Japan's relations with Africa - and specifically in Japan's activities in South Sudan. In this respect the research demonstrates that South Sudan is a particularly relevant location from which to better understand the evolution of Japan's Africa policies, as well as the significance of those policies in the broader context of Japanese foreign policy. The nature and extent of Japanese engagement in South Sudan can thus also be seen as a significant precedent for Japan's future interaction in Africa and this thesis contributes to the literature on Japanese foreign policy with specific reference to Japan's strategy towards Africa.