JICA’S APPROACH TO GOOD GOVERNANCE AND ANTI-CORRUPTION
Chie Miyahara*

This paper explains, firstly, JICA’s role as the Japanese ODA implementing agency,
then, secondly discusses our approach towards establishing good governance and promoting
anti-corruption in our partner countries. Lastly, concrete project cases concerning
anti-corruption are introduced.
A. JICA’s RoleJICA assists and supports developing countries as the executing agency of Japanese
ODA. In accordance with its vision of “Inclusive and Dynamic Development,” JICA
supports the resolution of issues of developing countries by using the most suitable tools ofvarious assistance methods and a combined regional-, country-, and issue-oriented approach.
1. JICA’s Vision, Mission and Strategy
There are many issues in the world that must be addressed not by individual countries
but by the international community. In dealing with such issues, together with its Vision,
JICA has defined four Missions to be achieved through four main Strategies. JICA’scooperative operations are implemented under this Vision and Mission.
(i) JICA’s Vision
Inclusive and Dynamic Development(ii) JICA’s Mission(a) Addressing Global Agenda: includes climate change, water, food, energy, infectious
diseases and financing.
(b) Reducing Poverty through Equitable Growth: pursues sustained poverty reduction
through inclusive and equitable growth(c) Improving Governance: strengthens policies, institutions, organizations and humanresources as the underpinning of development.
*Director, Administration and Financial / Financial Division, Governance Group, Industrial Development
and Public Policy Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

- 65 -(d) Achieving Human Security: protects people from threats and building societies where
they can live with dignity.
(iii) JICA’s Strategies(a) Integrated Assistance: combines policy support, institution building, human capacity
development, infrastructure development, etc. This also includes cross-border andcross-sector assistance.
(b) Seamless Assistance: means speedy and continuous aid delivery from emergency relief
to rehabilitation/reconstruction and peace-building.
(c) Promoting Development Partnerships: between the public and private sectors, applying
technologies and know-how.
(d) Enhancing Research and Knowledge Sharing: shares JICA’s abundant fieldexperiences through research and leading discussions.
2. ODA and JICA – JICA’s Assistant Schemes
Since joining the Colombo Plan in 1954, Japan has been providing financial andtechnical assistance to developing countries through ODA, aiming to contribute to the peaceand development of the international community and thereby help ensure Japan’s own
security and prosperity.
JICA is in charge of administering all ODA such as technical cooperation, ODA loans
and grant aid in an integrated manner, except contributions to international organizations.
JICA, the world’s largest bilateral aid agency, works in over 150 countries and regions andhas some 100 overseas offices worldwide.
(i) Technical Cooperation
For human resources development and formulation of administrative systems ofdeveloping countries, technical cooperation involves the dispatch of experts, provision ofnecessary equipment and training of personnel from developing countries in Japan and othercountries. Cooperation plans can be tailored to address a broad range of issues.
(ii) ODA LoansODA loans support developing countries above a certain income level by providing
low-interest, long-term and concessional funds (in Japanese yen) to finance their- 66 -development efforts. ODA loans are used for large-scale infrastructure and other forms ofdevelopment that required substantial funds.
(iii) Grant Aid
Grant aid is the provision of funds to developing countries which have low income
levels, without the obligation of repayment. Grant aid is used for improving basic
infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, water-supply facilities and roads, along withobtaining health and medical care, equipment and other requirements.
In addition to the above schemes, JICA is also responsible for disaster relief andcooperation through citizen participation.
3. JICA’s Operational Flow for Providing Assistance
JICA implements effective and efficient support under the Japanese government’s aid
policy based on an unbiased, broad perspective that extends beyond assistance schemes suchas technical cooperation, ODA loans and grant aid. In particular, JICA promptly conducts
project formulation and implementation by undertaking preparatory surveys to investigate
the content of assistance at project sites before receiving aid requests from partner countries.
JICA also conducts evaluation of the projects using the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)
cycle for each scheme of technical cooperation, ODA loans and grant aid and employs thesystem to further improve operations and sufficiently achieve public accountability.
B. JICA’s Approach to Good Governance
1. Basic Concept of Supporting Good GovernanceIn year 2004, with the primary objective of proposing a framework forgovernance-related assistance by systematically clarifying the concept of governance andstreamlining JICA’s contribution to this issue, JICA developed a report named “Governance
Assistance of JICA – Toward Indigenous Development of Democratic Institutions,
Administrative Functions and Legal Institutions in the Developing World,” where we
discussed: i) the definition of governance in JICA projects; ii) components of goodgovernance; iii) proposed basic guidelines of governance assistance in JICA’s projects; iv)
proposed role of JICA’s assistance in improving governance; and v) major issues in JICA’sgovernance assistance. In the report, JICA defines governance as a concept encompassing
not only government institutions, but also the mechanisms and systems which determine the- 67 -relationship among government, civil society and the private sector. More specifically, weinterpret governance as follows:
The development and operation of all the institutions, including governmentorganizations and systems, the synergetic relationship among government, civil society
and the private sector, and the processes of decision making, in order to mobilize,
allocate and manage the resources of the country efficiently and in a manner thatreflects the will of the people, with the aim of realizing the stability and developmentof the country.
In accordance with the above-mentioned definition of “governance”, the basic
guidelines of its governance assistance can be summarized as follows: “JICA considers it
important that the government of the partner country promote improvement of governanceand enhancement and consolidation of democratic institutions on its own initiative. In orderto facilitate the endogenous processes without forcing a certain type of institutional reformfrom the outside, JICA assists the government of the partner country to select, develop andoperate the necessary systems and institutions by providing information and engaging indialogue. In other words, it adopts approaches such as “the provision of policy options” or“joint thinking.”
2. JICA’s Approach towards Good Governance
The role of JICA’s assistance in improving governance in developing countries can besummarized as the following three items, depending on the condition of the partner countries,
such as the level of problem awareness and actions taken:(i)

To provide options for developing new systems and mechanisms and to stimulatechanges in the awareness of government organizations and the parties concerned;(ii) To assist the development of new institutions and mechanisms;(iii) To assist the development of detailed measures and methods and the necessaryorganizational reform and human resource development for putting the systems andmechanisms into operation.
Although the scale of the mechanisms and systems varies, the number of projects in iii)
above is the largest among JICA’s projects.
When it comes to the concrete projects implemented by JICA aimed at governance,
improvement in developing countries can be categorized into three major issues- 68 -(sub-categories): i) promoting the rule of law; ii) improving the public administration
function; and iii) establishing democratic systems. The following is a summary of the major
issues (sub-sectors) and the characteristics of JICA’s current cooperation on those issues.
(i) Promoting the Rule of Law
The focus of assistance will be to facilitate the efforts of developing countries to develop
legislation, aimed at moving towards a market economy or establishing the rule of law.
Assistance for development of legal institutions will include not only assistance for thedrafting and enactment of bills, but also for the development of various systems of law
enforcement and their application (assistance for judiciary reform), and for human resource
development in the legal profession.
(ii) Improving the Public Administration Function
Its focus will be to facilitate institutional development which is harmonized with theownership and self-reliant efforts of the partner countries and existing socio-economicconditions, with emphasis on their conducting the processes on their own. “Improvement ofthe efficiency and effectiveness of administrative functions,” “assistance for harmonizing
decentralization,” and “promotion of participation and improvement in transparency” will be
the three important cooperation issues.
(iii) Establishing Democratic Systems
It is based on respect for ownership of the partner countries and focused on assisting
democratic advancement towards enhanced basic freedoms and protection and promotion ofhuman rights from long-term perspectives. The major cooperation issues are assistance forelections, assistance for the legislature and assistance to the police and criminal justicesectors.
C. JICA Approach to Anti-Corruption
Responding to the increased number of requests from our partner countries concerning
anti-corruption measures, JICA studied and pulled together approaches to tackle
corruption-related issues in 2010. As it was introduced above, JICA has conducted a study
towards good governance in 2004, which also touched upon corruption-related issues. In thereport, it was explained that: “Corruption is regarded as one of the values which goodgovernance can tackle … For the assistance in anti-corruption related sector, development of- 69 -

anti-corruption system, strengthening oversight mechanisms, and thoroughness oftransparency would be major intervention.”
Based on this initial idea, JICA has studied current international trends, assistance
implemented by other donors, efforts done by governments as well as the private sector, andsummarized our aim to combat corruption, four pillars to tackle this issue and ourapproaches for each pillar.
1. Aim:Support establishment of anti-corruption systems and implementation of the systems, aspart of good governance.
As described above, the definition of JICA’s assistance in governance is “thedevelopment and operation of all the institutions, including government organizations andsystems, the synergetic relationship among government, civil society and the private sector,
and the processes of decision making, in order to mobilize, allocate and manage theresources of the country efficiently and in a manner that reflects the will of the people, withthe aim of realizing the stability and development of the country.” Therefore, the purpose ofassistance in the anti-corruption sector is to support establishment of a system and governing
structure to prevent/deter corrupted actions.
2. Four Pillars and Its Approach to Anti-Corruption(i) Strengthen the Rule of Law and Institutional Development for Deterring Corruption
Prevention of corrupted actions by: i) developing legal and regulatory frameworks andtheir enforcement systems to detect and penalize corrupted acts; ii) establishing clear
administrative and judicial procedures and improve the administrations; iii) building
awareness of the civil society and improve access to the law; and iv) developing the legal
system and institutions to promote fair and transparent political activities.
(ii) Enhance Efficiency, Transparency, and Accountability of Public Administration
Prevention of corrupted actions by: i) improving the capacity of public financialmanagement; ii) reducing opportunities of corruption and improve transparency in revenueadministration; iii) improving the systems of public procurement; and iv) promoting civil
service management reform and ethics.
(iii) Strengthen National Checks and Balances Mechanism- 70 -

Prevention of corrupted actions by: i) strengthening the function and capability ofsupreme audit institutions (SAI); ii) strengthening parliamentary oversight; iii) improving
access to information and strengthen media; and iv) creating broader public participation.
(iv) Promote Fair and Healthy Competition in the Private SectorPrevention of corrupted actions by: i) improving regulatory governance; ii) increasing
the commitment of private enterprises to anti-corruption and promote their compliance withlaws and regulations; and iii) creating a business environment to reduce the vulnerability tocorruption.
D. Project Cases
1. Vietnam(i) Holistic Approach
In Vietnam, as Japan’s ODA loan relates to corruption, we have a holistic approach tocombat corruption. However, each intervention is rather small, as our resource is limited.
Some of the intervention does not necessarily address anti-corruption. We are implementing
the following projects:(a) Improving transparency in public procurement(b) Strengthening supervisory function towards public administration(c) Supporting implementation of Vietnam’s anti-corruption strategy(d) Technical Assistance for the Legal and Judicial System Reform(e) Capacity development of National Assembly of Vietnam
2. Tanzania(i) Capacity Development Programme for Internal Audit (Sep. 2009 – August 2012)
This project falls in “Improvement of the capacity of public financial management” inour approach towards anti-corruption. The project purpose and expected outputs are asfollows:(a) Aim
The foundation of the technical guidance of internal audit of MDAs (Ministries,- 71 -Departments and Agencies) is established.
(b) Project Outputs(i) Training courses for internal audit are developed in accordance with skilllevels.
(ii) A user-friendly internal audit handbook is prepared.
(iii) CIAU’s (Central Internal Audit Units) staff and selected MDA internal
auditors are trained as Champions.
(iv) Training of MDAs’ internal auditors by Champions is introduced.
(v) Monitoring of other MDA internal audits and the handbook revision process
are introduced.
3. China(i) Training Program on Anti-Corruption in the Administrative Management Field andAdministrative Supervision (2009 - 2011)
This project falls in “Improvement of public procurement” in our approach towards
anti-corruption. The project purpose and training components are as follows:(a) AimDevelop capacity of inspection officers in charge of anti-corruption.
(b) Training Program(i) Human Resource Management(ii) Public Procurement/Tender for Public Works(iii) Public Information Disclosure(iv) Whistle-blowing

4. Uzbekistan(i) Improvement of Administrative Procedures for the Development of Private Sector
Activities (Apr. 2010 – Mar. 2012)
This project falls in “Develop legal and regulatory frameworks and their enforcement
systems to detect and penalize corrupted acts” in our approach towards anti-corruption. The
project purpose and expected outputs are as follows:(a) AimDevelop institutional capacity and structures in the the Ministry of Justice for
implementing appropriate administrative procedures.

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(b) Project Outputs(i) Administrative procedures under the Law on Guarantees of the Freedom of
Entrepreneurship Activities (LGFEA) are made clear to officials andentrepreneurs.
(ii) Model Rules concerning administrative procedures and Implementation
Manual of the Model Rules are prepared for enhancing appropriate
administrative procedures.
(iii) Capacity of Ministry of Justice is strengthened to monitor implementation ofrules and regulations concerning provisions of administrative procedures underLGFEA.

5. Honduras(i) Development Capacity Building in the Western Region of Republic of Honduras (Sep.
2006 - Oct. 2010)
This project falls in “Create broader public participation” in our approach towardanti-corruption. The project purpose and expected outputs are as follows:(a) AimEstablish an appropriate model to socialize, formulate, execute, manage, operate
and properly maintain the projects of consolidation of social infrastructure in theHiguito Inter-Municipal Council and member municipalities.
(b) Project Outputs(i) Improve formulation process of Municipal Development Plan and social
infrastructure projects;(ii) Strengthen capacity of the functionaries of the Higuito Inter-Municipal Council
and member municipalities, and of the communities;(iii) Diffuse the model to other areas.
6. Group Training
In addition to the projects introduced above, JICA implements some “group” training
courses concerning anti-corruption. These training courses involve the transfer of Japanese
specialized knowledge and technology. Training programs are implemented with thecooperation of Japan’s national and local governments, universities, private enterprises,- 73 -non-governmental organizations and other relevant parties. The training courses are as
follows:(i)

Seminar on Government Audit Practices for ASOSAI (Asian Organization of Supreme
Audit Institutions) Member Supreme Audit Institutions (supported by the Board ofAudit)(ii) Seminar on Government Audit (supported by the Board of Audit)(iii) Seminar on National Government Administration for Senior Officials (supported byNational Personnel Authority)(iv) Seminar on Public Personnel Administration for Middle Level Officials (supported byNational Personnel Authority- 74 -