water resources in northern Tunisia to Tunis and its vicinity and increase relevant pumping facilities. See "1. Poverty Reduction" for other specific projects.

## (c) Soft Assistance in Infrastructure Development

Human resources must be nurtured to develop, control and manage socioeconomic infrastructure under appropriate development policies in developing countries. In this respect, Japan has implemented a wide range of technical assistance including urban and national land planning, training of engineers for managing and controlling infrastructure facilities, provision of equipment for management and control, and development studies.

Assistance in transportation infrastructure development to facilitate transportation of people and goods, as well as in the improvement of trade and investment environments, is important for invigorating economic activities in developing countries. Through the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS), Japan has implemented soft assistance in the development of trade and investment institutions, including the diffusion of intellectual property right systems and the creation of standardization and certification systems, and human resources development for more efficient distribution. Specifically, Japan has assisted in the improvement of administrative efficiency at intellectual property right agencies in Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia and in the enhancement of private intellectual property right promotion groups in Vietnam. As for standardization and certification system development, Japan has sent standardization, compatibility assessment and measurement experts to ASEAN countries and accepted ASEAN trainees under the "ASEAN Standards and Conformity Cooperation Program." Regarding efficient distribution systems, Japan has sent logistics, $ ^{6} $ unit load, $ ^{7} $ and other experts to developing countries for training and seminars.

## (2) Policy-Making and the Development of Institutions

Responding to demand for soft assistance in development of policies and institutions in developing countries, Japan has dispatched policy advisers and other experts to such countries, accepted their trainees for development of institutions and provided assistance utilizing development studies. Soft assistance has attracted attention as Japan's unique aid over recent years. Policy development assistance projects have been going on for Japanese experts in trade, investment, economics, jurisprudence and other areas to accumulate steady discussions and mutual confidence with policy-making government officials in developing countries and propose long-term development strategies for these countries based on their respective realities.

For example, Japan has implemented realistic policy development assistance projects for ASEAN countries, which have been striving to completely overcome the 1997 Asian economic crisis, liberalize the regional economy and enhance their international competitiveness. In Laos, Japanese experts cooperated with Laotian policy-making officials in making proposals by fiscal year 2003 on a wide range of areas including the facilitation of financial services, the promotion of small and medium enterprises, agriculture and rural development, and economic integration. These Japanese experts have also trained Laotian human resources for the improvement of policy-making capacity. For Indonesia, Japan has carried out the Economic Policy Support Program for Indonesia to support its reform efforts through policy dialogue (six meetings) between Japanese experts (university professors) and relevant Indonesian cabinet ministers. This kind of policy development assistance project, which has been implemented for Vietnam and other countries as well, has contributed to developing these assistance recipients and building up Japan's bilateral relations with these developing countries.

Cooperation in development of human resources, and legal and other systems is important for assisting in

A simulated trial at a school for legal professionals (Japanese Technical Cooperation in the Legal and Judicial Field: Vietnam) (Photo: JICA)