Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2007
Next PageMain Text > Part I JAPAN'S OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE IN ITS TRANSITION PERIOD > Chapter 2 International Aid Trends and Japan's Efforts > Section 2. Characteristics of Japan's Development Assistance
Section 2. Characteristics of Japan's Development Assistance
Japan has been providing official development assistance for more than 50 years and assumed its present role after grappling with the question of how best to pursue cooperation with the changing international community. The approach and philosophy that Japan has developed seek to empower the people of developing countries. By transferring Japanese knowledge and technology based on its history and experience, Japan can contribute to the economic and social development of developing countries. Another important element of this approach is helping developing countries to promote an established democratization and to achieve market-based economies.
1. Empowering the People of Developing Countries (Supporting Self-help Efforts)
Self-help efforts refers to the acceptance of responsibility, by developing countries themselves, for the future of their countries, and entail the expenditure of effort by the citizens of developing countries to further the development of their countries. Japan's ODA is founded on the idea that support for the self-help efforts of developing countries is essential for achieving sustainable economic growth. This approach is applied when Japan implements individual assistance projects whereby it provides all possible assistance to the citizens of developing countries to sustain, and expand on, the results achieved by these projects after their completion.
For example, when Japan provides assistance for establishing legal and judical systems, it does not simply transfer Japan's legal systems unchanged but presents to the governments of developing countries a variety of options for legal systems and then, together with these governments, examines which would be most suitable for them. In addition, experts dispatched from Japan and academics supporting projects within the country assist judicial affairs personnel of developing countries in drafting and enacting legislation so that they can establish and exercise laws practically and in harmony with the social conditions of that country. These joint efforts will lead to improved capabilities of legal professionals of the recipient country, who then will be able to play an important role in their respective countries.
It is crucial that Japan provides support to allow the country as a whole to sustain economic growth while it gains the benefits of trade and investment within the international economy, even after Japan's assistance has been completed.
Important elements to support this self-help efforts are human resource development, establishment of legal institutions, and development of an economic and social foundation (e.g. social infrastructure such as education, healthcare, and sanitation, and economic infrastructure such as transportation, communications, and energy). Human resources development is essential for nation-building and economic development by developing countries themselves, and the establishment of legal systems and creation of an economic and social foundation serve as the basis for this development. As such, Japan places emphasis on supporting these fields.
2. Transferring Japan's Knowledge and Technology
It has now been more than 60 years since the end of World War II. In 1954, only nine years after the war, Japan began to provide economic assistance. During that period, Japan rapidly recovered from the war, pushed forward with nation-building centered on economic growth, and swiftly attained a high rate of economic growth, becoming in a short time the world's second largest economy. This remarkable recovery is attributable to the accumulation of education, and economic and financial capital since Japan's Edo Period. Another crucial factor in Japan's success in achieving a high rate of economic growth is the assistance it received from abroad.1 Through the experience of recovering from post-war devastation and building the present affluent society despite limited energy and natural resources such as oil, Japan has acquired valuable technology and knowledge in many fields that it can share with all the world's developing countries, not only those in Asia.
For example, Japan's agricultural development was based on water supply unions which has its basis in village governments that dates back to the pre-Edo Period. Paying due respect to the autonomy of farmers, irrigation development and land improvement for increasing food production was conducted. Using this experience, Japan has assisted the development of water management organizations with the participation of farmers in developing countries and has earned high praise for its support. Moreover, in its confined territory with few plains, Japan has moved forward with land and industrial development, and has formed industrial zones with integrated infrastructure, including transportation, ports and electric power. Also important was the presence of small and medium-sized enterprises, which flexibly supply high-quality intermediate products in these clusters of large factories.
With the implementation of these industrial policies, measures to overcome the problems of air and water pollution and rapid urbanization were required. This experience has been applied in the assistance Japan provides for the economic and social development of developing countries. For example, support for the development of industrial parks integrated with production bases has yielded major results, and the experience of overcoming the problems of pollution and urbanization has been used in providing environmental assistance to developing countries.
Another contribution made by Japan, a country often struck by such natural disasters as earthquakes and typhoons, has been assistance for the development of infrastructure built to withstand natural disasters as well as assistance for raising public awareness on disaster prevention. This approach of offering the experience and knowledge gained through Japan's own development in a wide range of fields to other developing countries is a basic principle of Japan's international cooperation. The experience of pursuing development resulting in a high rate of economic growth is closely connected with Japan's experience of more than 50 years of economic cooperation toward developing countries in Asia and elsewhere in the world. Japan intends to continue to make this contribution, informed by its own history and experience.
Training at a sabo dam in Kobe (Photo: Kenshiro Imamura/JICA)
Japan's Strength in Technical Cooperation and Loan Aid
● Technical Cooperation
As expressed by the phrase "the basis of nation-building is human resource development," personnel development is the basis of the self-help efforts and the sustainable development of developing countries, and technical cooperation is an effective means of achieving this objective. Japan's technical cooperation contributes to the development of recipient countries by transferring the expertise and experience that Japan possesses to the people who play leadership roles in developing countries. Japan's technical cooperation is not merely to transfer technology, but rather to place emphasis on having developing countries play a leading role in solving their development problems, and is characterized by close support in the process of improving the capacity — not only of individuals but of organizations and institutions — to deal with problems on a continuous basis. In addition to this, when experts from Japan transfer their knowledge and technology to the people of developing countries, mutual understanding is deepened and goodwill is increased at the grassroots level. Assistance that is visibly Japanese2 contributes to fostering affinity to Japan. Technical cooperation also brings benefits to Japan. For example, when trainees from developing countries take part in projects implemented in Japan, opportunities to experience other cultures are provided, which promotes international awareness among the Japanese themselves. The key players in technical cooperation range from government to volunteers and this diversity allows it to be adapted flexibly to the times and the development issues involved. Technical cooperation thus fulfills a crucial role in enhancing the overall quality of development assistance.
● Loan Aid
Providing substantial funds under concessionary terms through Japanese ODA loans is an effective means of strengthening economic and social foundation so as to enable developing countries to achieve sustainable growth. By imposing on a developing country the obligation to repay loans, Japanese ODA loans help to promote its self-help efforts. Such loans also make it necessary for developing countries to appropriately position assistance projects in their development plans at the time the official request for aid is submitted. Japan had similar experience as well.3 Although among other donor countries there are countries that do not provide loan aid, Japan places emphasis on providing loan aid from the perspective above.4
● Technical Cooperation
As expressed by the phrase "the basis of nation-building is human resource development," personnel development is the basis of the self-help efforts and the sustainable development of developing countries, and technical cooperation is an effective means of achieving this objective. Japan's technical cooperation contributes to the development of recipient countries by transferring the expertise and experience that Japan possesses to the people who play leadership roles in developing countries. Japan's technical cooperation is not merely to transfer technology, but rather to place emphasis on having developing countries play a leading role in solving their development problems, and is characterized by close support in the process of improving the capacity — not only of individuals but of organizations and institutions — to deal with problems on a continuous basis. In addition to this, when experts from Japan transfer their knowledge and technology to the people of developing countries, mutual understanding is deepened and goodwill is increased at the grassroots level. Assistance that is visibly Japanese2 contributes to fostering affinity to Japan. Technical cooperation also brings benefits to Japan. For example, when trainees from developing countries take part in projects implemented in Japan, opportunities to experience other cultures are provided, which promotes international awareness among the Japanese themselves. The key players in technical cooperation range from government to volunteers and this diversity allows it to be adapted flexibly to the times and the development issues involved. Technical cooperation thus fulfills a crucial role in enhancing the overall quality of development assistance.
● Loan Aid
Providing substantial funds under concessionary terms through Japanese ODA loans is an effective means of strengthening economic and social foundation so as to enable developing countries to achieve sustainable growth. By imposing on a developing country the obligation to repay loans, Japanese ODA loans help to promote its self-help efforts. Such loans also make it necessary for developing countries to appropriately position assistance projects in their development plans at the time the official request for aid is submitted. Japan had similar experience as well.3 Although among other donor countries there are countries that do not provide loan aid, Japan places emphasis on providing loan aid from the perspective above.4
3. Support for the Process of Democratization and Transition to Market Economies by Developing Countries
By strengthening the capacity of the governments of developing countries, Japan has provided support for their processes of democratization and their transitions to market economies.5 As for development of legal systems, for example, through assistance for drafting and amending laws such as civil law and civil procedure law, and for capacity building of legal personnel, Japan has assisted CLV (Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam) countries, as well as in Central Asia (Uzbekistan), where developing legislative systems for market economy and rule of law remains a issue. In addition, to accelerate the transition to market economies, Japan has established Human Resource Development Centers for International Cooperation (Japan Centers) in eight countries (Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Ukraine) to support the development of personnel closely involved with economic activities. Other assistance provided by Japan has included support for improving governance, police and elections, and strengthening of civil society through support to media, and expansion of women's political participation. Through Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects, Japan has supported the activities of NGOs and regional and local governments in developing countries, resulting in strengthening civil society and building a foundation for democratization. Japan intends to support the consolidation and promotion of democratization and good governance, as well as the transition to market economies, through various means including official development assistance.
While some developing countries are succeeding in the overall process of democratization and good governance, there are still some countries facing human rights violations or corruption issues. Japan requires the governments of these countries to tackle such issues while providing assistance useful to improving the human rights situation and governance. In compliance with the basic principles for implementing assistance of the ODA Charter,6 Japan intends to continue assistance to encourage developing countries to engage in self-help efforts towards democratization.
A business seminar held at a Japan Center for Human Development in Kirghiz (Photo: JICA)
Chart I-9. Characteristics of Japan's Official Development Assistance shown in charts Part 1
Chart I-9. Characteristics of Japan's Official Development Assistance shown in charts Part 2
Box 3. 20 Years of Japan Disaster Relief Teams