This paper is primarily based on my presentation “Historical Studies of Japanese-African Relations: Some Issues and Prospects” at the symposium of the 44th annual meeting of the Japan Association for African Studies, which was held in Nagasaki in May, 2007. Historical relations between Japan and Africa have been studies by some scholars, but a number of important topics have not been examined yet. For instance, Japanese scholars have tended to see the relations within the context of national history; thus, early contacts between Japanese and Africans outside the land of Japan before the 16th century have not been adequately known even to academics. This paper presents some significant aspects to be further explored in historical studies of Japanese-African relations. It also states that historical studies, as well as studies on current issues in Japanese-African relations, provide Japanese, Asian, African, and world history with new and global perspectives.