# Section 1 System Development Period (1954-1976)

Joining the Colombo Plan

On October 6, 1954, the Cabinet approved a resolution for Japan to join the Colombo Plan. Having secured the mediation

Official logo of the "50th Anniversary of Japan's International Cooperation," created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of starting to provide assistance of the United States,® Japan participated as an official member at the 6th Session of the Plan. The Colombo Plan is a regional cooperation organization established in 1950 for the purpose of promoting the economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific. From the year after joining, Japan began to provide government-based technical cooperation programs in the form of

accepting trainees and dispatching experts, using a budget of 38.4 million yen in 1955.

October 6 was established as "International Cooperation Day" by the Cabinet in September 1987, and commemorative events are held around that date. Joining the Colombo Plan was truly an important milestone signaling the dawn of Japan's government-based economic cooperation.

Economic cooperation provided in tandem with post-war reparations

As explained in the above paragraphs, joining the Colombo Plan marked the beginning of government-based technical cooperation. However, the launch of government-based financial cooperation can be traced to November 1954 and the signing of the Japan-Burma Peace Treaty and Agreement on Reparations and Economic Cooperation. $ ^{9} $ In addition to payment of reparations "to compensate the damage and suffering caused by Japan during the war," this treaty also provided for cooperation "to contribute towards the economic rehabilitation and development and the advancement of social

Chart I -9 Japan's Reparations and Quasi-Reparations

Classification	Partner Country	Reparations/Quasi-Reparations (amounts due under treaties underlined)	Reparation provision period or grant aid period
US dollars	Yen
Reparations	Union of Burma	$200,000,000	¥72,000,000,000	1955.4.16-1965.4.15
The Philippines	$550,000,000	¥190,203,272,472	1956.7.23-1976.7.22
Indonesia	$223,080,000	¥80,308,800,000	1958.4.15-1970.4.14
Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam)	$39,000,000	¥14,040,000,000	1960.1.12-1965.1.11
Total	$1,012,080,000	¥356,552,072,472
(Quasi-Reparations)	Laos	$2,777,777	¥1,000,000,000	1959.1.23-1961.1.22 extended until 1965.1.22
Cambodia	$4,166,666	¥1,500,000,000	1959.7.6-1962.7.5 extended until 1966.7.5
Thailand	$26,666,666	¥9,600,000,000	1962.5.9-1969.5.30
Union of Burma	$140,000,000	¥47,335,584,547	1965.4.16-1977.4.15
Korea (Note)	$300,000,000	¥102,093,285,442	1965.12.18-1975.12.17
Malaysia	$8,166,675	¥2,940,003,000	1968.5.7-1971.5.6 extended until 1972.5.6
Singapore	$8,166,675	¥2,940,003,000	1968.5.7-1971.5.6 extended until 1972.3.31
Micronesia	$5,844,155	¥1,800,000,000	1972.5.27-1975.5.26 extended until 1976.10.15
Total	$495,788,616.93	¥169,208,875,989
Overall total	$1,507,868,616.93	¥525,760,948,461

Source: Diplomatic Blue Book 1977

Note: 300 million dollars of grant aid and 200 million dollars of loan assistance cooperation were provided to Korea, based on the Agreement on the Settlement of Problems concerning Property and Claims and on Economic Co-operation between Japan and the Republic of Korea.

9. The Union of Burma (Myanmar at present) did not attend the San Francisco Peace Conference, and then concluded a separate peace treaty with Japan.