The Role of Japanese Official Development Assistance inStrengthening Tajikistan's Security
Cooperation between Tajikistan and Japan is inextricably connected with theTajik state security, which is important for strengthening the security in the whole
Central Asia.
The Tajik-Japanese security dialogue runs through the following institutions:
1. Bilateral visits at the highest level. Thus, after the visit of Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe to Tajikistan in 2015, both parties agreed that Tajikistan
would receive $7.4 million aid from Japan [1, 263];
2. The Tajik-Japanese Intergovernmental Commission on Economic,
Technical and Scientific Cooperation (the first meeting was held in 2017), as wellas the Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group between the Tajikistan Parliament andthe House of Representatives of the National Diet (the first meeting was held in2019) [2];3. The opening of the Embassy of Japan in Dushanbe (in 2002) and theEmbassy of Tajikistan in Tokyo (in 2007), which simplifies communication;
4. Official Development Assistance institutions. For Japan, Asian countries
have always been a priority, and the Central Asia is no exception. The ODAinstitutions include the "Central Asia+ Japan" dialogue, the Japanese International
Cooperation Agency (JICA), whose branch office is open in Dushanbe, etc.
I should mention that it is ODA that largely promote the relations. ForTajikistan, Japan is one of the most important donors – in 2017, Japanese ODA tothis country totally accounted $400 million [1, 261]. Japan does not provide loans
to Tajikistan, but gives grants and technical assistance. Nevertheless, the volume ofODA to Tajikistan (especially through grant assistance) is slowly but steadily
increasing.
Table 1
Japan's ODA to Tajikistan by Fiscal Year (in million dollars)
Fiscal Year
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016

Loan Aid-Grant Aid
16.5
11.01
20.88
44.16
32.71

TechnicalCooperation
3.71
5.48
4.25
4.04
5.35

24.09
n/a
2017
37.89
n/a
2018
22.34
n/a
2019
26.65
n/a2020
Total
365.65
72.17
Note. Compiled on the basis of data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ofJapan and Query Wizard for International Development Statistics by OECD. URL:
https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/page_000010.html#tajikistan (accessed: 7. 12.
2022)
JICA has identified three main areas of cooperation with Tajikistan:
1. Improving the basis of economic and industrial development;
2. Improving the situation with basic social services;
3. Acceleration of stability, but in the Action Plan for the Development ofTajikistan from the Japanese Foreign Ministry, this goal is described as "promotingsocial sustainability" [2].
Speaking in detail about the goals of JICA in this country, it is necessary toname the following projects:
As part of the basis of economic and industrial development, both parties
implemented a licorice processing plant – this is the only joint venture in thecountry [1, 262]. Another project is on its way to enhance locust management,
which will improve the situation in the agricultural sector [1, 263]. In addition, anumber of projects have been implemented to build and transport links – thereconstruction of the Dushanbe Airport, the Dusti– Nizhny Panj, Kurgan-Tube –Dusti highways, Kizilkala — Bokhtar, etc. It is also necessary to mention theEnergy Efficiency Improvement Program, which includes specialized energy
training projects and Dushanbe energy substations restoration [2].
As part of the situation with basic social services, there are even moreprojects (apparently, this is the main JICA activity in Tajikistan). JICA has
implemented the projects to improve the water supply system, maternal and childhealth in the Khatlon region, to purchase medicines aimed at children's health, etc.
Additionally, Japanese funds are building two new schools and a medical center(three more schools were commissioned in 2019).
As part of the social stability acceleration, JICA has implemented the ruraldevelopment project in the Tajik-Afghan border (in the Gorno-Badakhshan
Autonomous Region (GBRD). There are several projects which are to be done. For
example, the program for border control and security specialized training(especially against drugs) [2], as well as programs for the human resourcesdevelopment (7 humanities master's degree scholarships, granted every year since2008), jointly knowledge creation (annual invitation of about 80 civil servants of
Tajikistan to Japan to participate in different level training courses), to promote
effective Tajikistan – Afghanistan border management, to improve the border
population welfare, etc. Interestingly, the program also provides a Course on
training Global Leaders in Sustainable Development Goals [2].
As a result of the analysis, the conclusions are as follows:
1) Japan and Tajikistan have a very extensive and multidisciplinary ODA,
which allow Tajikistan to increase the pace of its development, and Japan – tocreate an image of a friendly country to the entire Central Asia;
2) Japan due to the Tajikistan difficult economic situation, mainly uses theODA tools, contributing to the jobs creation and improving the overall standard ofliving, which makes ODA to this country one of the most important tools instrengthening Tajikistan and the whole Central Asia security;
3) Japan is particularly focusing on the mechanisms of cross-bordercooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan at the same time strengthening theborder of both states, seeking to reduce the degree of tension.

Reference
1. Dobrinskaya O. (2020), Strategiya Yaponii v Central'noj Azii: politicheskoe,ekonomicheskoe i kul'turnoe izmerenie [Japan's Strategy in Central Asia:
Political, economic and cultural dimension], Oriental Studies Institute,
Moscow.
2. MOFA of Japan (2022), “ODA by Region. Tajikistan Rolling Plan”, available
at: https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/page_000010.html#tajikistan (accessed:7. 12. 2022).

Nazar Kurbanov
Moscow State Institute of International Relations