Following the cold war, many regions of the world demonstrated impressive strides in the arenas of democratization, liberalization, and the establishment of market-driven economic systems. These developments are to contribute to international peace, stability, and prosperity, and as such, are in Japan's interest as well. In fact, Japan has been actively supporting such efforts, particularly by the so-called "economies in transition," and in keeping with the principles of its own ODA Charter, which demands full attention to efforts by developing countries to foster democratization, adopt market-based economic systems, and guarantee basic human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In particular, Japan has provided emergency assistance to help Mongolia and several countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus region cope with the pressures of economic deterioration, conflict, and refugee flows spurred by the transition to market economies. Additionally, it has furnished personnel training, policy recommendations and other forms of expertise support to help such countries devise effective systems and policy frameworks for democratization and free-market transition. Japan has also supported such countries as Vietnam and China, which maintain socialist systems while implementing market-oriented economic reforms.

On the democratization front, Japan has arranged a framework of assistance for the establishment of legal and judicial systems and election systems, the training of judicial and administrative personnel, and cooperation for the protection of human rights. At the Lyon Summit in 1996, it introduced these efforts as its Partnership for Democratic Development (PDD).

Several of the countries now in economic transition face an array of problems, including a shortage of expertise and personnel essential to the formulation and operation of their new economic and other frameworks. For that reason, Japan currently provides policy-based support ranging from "democratization seminars" that showcase the Japanese experience in putting together essential legal, administrative, and parliamentary systems, to the assignment of expert advisors on such issues as the management of market economies and administrative control. Furthermore, in Poland, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, it has begun running programs of assistance designed to furnish expertise support directly to the central government agencies for formulation of key policies and programs.

Japan began adopting various foreign frameworks, policies, and legal systems of its own during the Meiji era (1868-1912). The expertise support it now provides in this area draws extensively on the lessons it learned during that process. At the policy level, that support can be expected to foster stronger personal ties with recipient countries; likewise, the adoption of policies and legal frameworks that Japan is familiar with will conceivably contribute to closer bilateral ties in turn.