(2) Assistance for Governance (Including Anti-Corruption)
In parallel with economic development, corruption, including the bribery of civil servants, has become a factor impeding sound economic growth in developing countries. It is necessary for donor countries to ensure good governance, including anti-corruption measures, in order to realize an equitable and stable society in developing countries.
<Japan's Efforts>
In July 2017, Japan concluded the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the only universal framework in the international community that sets out measures to counter corruption. Under this Convention, state parties are called upon to be more proactively involved in providing assistance in the enforcement of corruption-related laws and in capacity building to countries that are vulnerable to corruption in cooperation with other countries. To date, in the field of anti-corruption measures, Japan has contributed to identifying and solving challenges in the international fight against corruption by contributing approximately $100,000 in FY2016 to the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), with a view of supporting the operation of the UNTAC Implementation Mechanism aimed at assessing the status of implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption in each country in order to promote anti-corruption measures and strengthen international cooperation based on the Convention.
Through UNAFEI, MOJ held an International Training Course on the Criminal Justice Response to Corruption, on the theme of “Effective Measures to Investigate the Proceeds of Corruption Crimes,” for criminal justice professionals in developing countries, mainly in the Asia-Pacific region. This training course selects themes from the key issues of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), and contributes to the sound development of the criminal justice system and the strengthening of cooperative relationships in each country.
As regards other efforts, Japan has held an annual seminar titled “Regional Seminar on Good Governance for Southeast Asian Countries” since 2007, with the objectives of supporting initiatives in Southeast Asian countries and contributing to human resources development in the area of criminal justice and corruption response. In 2017, a seminar was held in Hanoi, Viet Nam, on the theme of “Best Practices in Anti-Corruption: A Decade of Institutional and Practical Development in Southeast Asia.”