# Chapter 3

Japan's ODA: Outlook for the Future

Volunteers dispatched under the JOCV system, teaching how to cook Japanese cuisine in Indonesia

## Key Points

Based on the accomplishments and progress in the past, the government is determined to continue persistently to make efforts for improvement of ODA implementation in line with the revised ODA Charter.

In order to implement assistance more effectively, the government places emphasis on the clarification of accomplishments, the strengthening of policy consultations with recipient governments, the results-oriented approach, the further collaboration with other aid bodies and the enhancement of evaluation.

In order to improve the procedures for assistance, further strengthening of the functions of the Country-based ODA Task Force, collaboration among related government ministries and agencies and NGOs, and disclosure of information, as well as expansion of public participation are pressing.

• In order to develop the implementation systems for assistance, enhancement of collaboration with implementing agencies, human resources development and cooperation with universities and research institutions are necessary.

As mentioned, in the past 50 years, Japan's ODA has undergone changes in accordance with the circumstances at given times, while also yielding considerable accomplishments.

More than 1.1 billion people, mainly in developing countries, are still living in absolute poverty on less than a dollar a day. In addition, almost 0.8 billion people are suffering from famine. Moreover, amid the advances of globalization after the end of Cold War, a number of problems, including the gap between the rich and the poor, ethnic and religious conflicts, armed conflicts, terrorism, suppression of freedom, human rights and democracy, environmental issues, infectious diseases and the gender gap, are intertwining, and development-related issues have come to assume new aspects. In such circumstances, the revised ODA Charter of 2003 comprehensively presents the objectives, priority issues and regions of Japan's ODA. In line with the revised ODA Charter, based on the accomplishments and progress of Japan's ODA accumulated over the past 50 years, Japan is willing to tackle the issues, such as poverty reduction, sustainable growth, addressing global issues and peace-building.

Japan's ODA has certainly faced many challenges, when looking back over the progress to date. Over the 50 years, Japan has endeavored to solve those problems and modified some procedures for implementing ODA. For example, in the past, Japan's assistance was closely connected with the promotion of exports, but it has gradually changed its features along with the increase of Japan's economic power. At present, assistance and export promotion are no longer interconnected in terms of either philosophy or implementation.

On the other hand, problems from various viewpoints are still pointed out regarding Japan's assistance such as questions about the effectiveness and efficiency of assistance, criticisms over the insufficient collaboration among related ministries and agencies. The revised ODA Charter of August 2003 indicates how the government should address these issues. In addition, the revised ODA Charter sets the basic policies, such as emphasis on the perspective of human security, as well as the issues on which Japan should place priority in the future, including peace-building. For the future, Japan has to implement ODA in a more strategic, effective and transparent way in line with the revised ODA Charter.

This chapter summarizes and explains the issues remaining when implementing ODA more effectively in the future and how to address them from a medium to long-term perspective. These issues will be discussed in three parts—accomplishments of assistance, procedures for assistance and systems for implementation of assistance.