Resource-poor Japan cannot survive today unless the world is stable and prosperous. Official development assistance (ODA) contributes to the stability and prosperity of the world community.

Fifty years ago, Japan rebuilt itself after World War II thanks to foreign aid. We Japanese must not forget that this was how we built the foundations of our present prosperity: loans from the World Bank funded such projects as the construction of the fourth Kurobe Dam (1958 to 1983), the Tokaido Shinkansen (1961 to 1981), and the Tomei and Meishin Highways (1960 to 1990). Now, out of gratitude for the aid it received in the past, it is Japan's important duty to allocate a part of its national wherewithal to fostering the international community's development efforts.

If, as the Japanese Constitution says, "We desire to occupy an honored place in international society" and to bring its ideals to life, and if we desire to ensure our own stability and prosperity in this world of interdependance, we must indeed assume some of the attendant costs on behalf of the international community as a whole.

Despite its difficult financial circumstances today, therefore, Japan must make every effort it can to give ODA to developing countries.

Japan's official development assistance to developing countries is based on the following understandings:

• Japan must contribute to alleviating the starvation and poverty from which many developing countries suffer even now;
• Japan recognizes that developing regions' stability and development are essential to the peace and prosperity of the whole world, and likewise that they are directly tied also to its own prosperity;
• The global problems of environmental degradation and overpopulation affect all humanity and must be tackled jointly by the developed and developing countries working together, and Japan's cooperation must be commensurate with its economic might;
• Japan will assist developing countries in their own efforts to accomplish economic takeoffs.
• Japan will share its development experience with other countries, including through human resource development.

1. Trends concerning ODA in Japan and Overseas
2. Japan's ODA in 1996
3. Japan's ODA and Its Foreign Policy: Integration of Japan's and the Global Community's Interests
4. Japan's Environmental ODA and "Initiatives for Sustainable Development toward the 21st Century"
5. Assisting Developing Countries to Combat Pollution through ODA
6. ODA Cooperation toward Nature Conservation
7. Special Interest Rates on ODA Loans for Environmental Projects and "Japan-China Environmental Cooperation toward the 21st Century"
8. The New Development Strategy: A Global Framework for Development Assistance for the 21st Century
9. Japan's ODA Charter
10. ODA and Global Issues
11. Coping with Regional Conflicts
12. Development Programs in Africa
13. Efficient and Effective Implementation of Aid
14. Untied ODA Loans
15. Public Acceptance and Participation
16. Promoting Participatory Development: Financing for NGO-led Activities

1. General Account Budget for ODA (All Government Agencies)
2. ODA Operating Budget (All Government Agencies)
3. Major Recipients of Japan's Bilateral Assistance by Aid Type (1996)
4. List of Countries to Which Japan is the Top Donor
5. Japan's Official Development Assistance Charter
6. History of Japan's Assistance to Developing Countries (1945-1997)
   • 1945-1961
   • 1962-1976
   • 1977-1991
   • 1992-1997

• chart 1. Trends in Major DAC Countries' ODA (Net Disbursement Basis)
• chart 2. Initiatives for Sustainable Development (ISD) toward the 21st Century (Summary)
• chart 3. Hot Spot Map (Conservation International's 1996 Hot Spot Map)
• chart 4. "Japan-China Environmental Cooperation toward the 21st Century"
• chart 5. Trends in the Total Net Resource Flows to Developing Countries
• chart6-1. The ODA Charter as Applied in Practice -An Example of Positive Linkage
• chart6-2. The ODA Charter as Applied in Practice -An Example of Negative Linkage
• chart 7. Trends in Japan's ODA to Africa (Net Disbursement Basis)
• chart 8. Amount of Money Disbursed Per Person Engaged in ODA (Government Implementing Agencies Included)
• chart 9. Trends in Procurement Conditions on Japan's ODA Loans
• chart 10. Trends in ODA Loan-Funded Corporate Contracts (By Country, Local Currency Costs Excluded)
• chart 11. Findings of a Public Opinion Poll by the Prime Minister's Office on Future Economic Cooperation
• chart 12. Collaboration between Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Local Governments

1. Afforestation Plan for Rajasthan State - Afforestation Project in Aravalli Mountains
2. Raising Mangroves in Former Shrimp Raising Ponds
3. Instructing Village Women's Groups - Health Center in Kibirechia, Kenya
4. Palestine -"Mural Painting Project"
5. Fighting the Fierce Guinea Worm Parasite
6. Letter from Descendants of the Pharaohs Received by Descendants of the Samurai
7. Bringing Hokkaido's Experience to Chile