lems such as the spread of HIV/AIDS and poverty due to chronic shortage of food. The Western Balkan region has such countries as Bosnia and Herzegovina and also Serbia and Montenegro, which have been severely damaged by conflicts lasting for many years. These countries have finally started making the transition from the restoration and reconstruction stage to the development stage. In April 2004, Ireland, which was the EU presidency holder, and Japan co-hosted the "Ministerial Meeting on Peace Consolidation and Economic Development of the Western Balkans" in Tokyo, in which ministers of Western Balkans and representatives of donor countries and international organizations participated. In the Meeting, Japan emphasized the importance of sustainable economic growth and consolidation of peace through ethnic collaboration. Japan also stressed the necessity for the Western Balkans to combine their efforts to tackle their common problems such as organized crime and high unemployment rates. Japan announced its intention to continue its support for the region.

Most of Japan's assistance to the Western Balkan region used to be directed to the reconstruction of damaged infrastructures and the development of health and medical care in order to restore and reconstruct the region. Today, Japan puts a high priority on human resource development through dispatch of experts and acceptance of trainees for the creation of an environment that would promote trade, investment and industrial development centered on small and midsize companies. Japan has taken some action for consolidation of peace as well. For example, in Serbia and Montenegro, Japan invited police officers to its training programs in an effort to improve the domestic security while in Kosovo, it has been giving financial assistance, via the Trust Fund for Human Security, to the UNDP for its "Illicit Small Arms Control Programme" for the purpose of collecting small arms, which are so prevalent in the society that domestic security and the safety of citizens' lives are seriously jeopardized. In Bosnia and Herzegovina and also in Croatia, Japan has been providing assistance for diverse purposes such as supporting NGOs engaging in landmine removal.

Environmental deterioration is a common problem among Balkan states. They failed to take measures for environmental protection in a timely manner because they had been in the midst of rapid transition to a market economy. In an effort to assist them to solve environmental problems, Japan dispatched experts for the management of water quality of Sava River, which is an international river. In addition, Japan has been actively providing assistance for solving water problems. In October 2003, Japan provided Macedonia with assistance of approximately 9.7 billion yen in the form of Yen loans for the "Zletovica Basin Water Utilization Improvement Project." This Plan is designed to ensure a stable supply of safe drinking water in order to improve living conditions of local residents who suffer from chronic water shortage and also designed to supply industrial water to surrounding areas and irrigation water for the use in the agricultural sector, which is an important industry in Macedonia.

## Section 5 Compliance with the Principle of ODA Implementation

The Principle of ODA Implementation specified in the revised ODA Charter is basically the same as that specified in the old ODA Charter because of the idea that the basic concepts expressed in the principles of the old ODA Charter still apply to today's situations and that the validity and importance of the four guidelines contained in the principles remain unchanged.

The Principle of ODA Implementation specifies that Japan should provide ODA in accordance with the philosophy of the ODA Charter (Objectives, Basic Policies, Priority Issues, and Priority Regions) in compliance with the principles of the United Nations (especially sovereign equality and non-interference in domestic matters) and also with the following four points in consideration of developing country's need for assistance, socio-economic conditions and Japan's bilateral relations with the recipient country.

(1) Environmental conservation and development should be pursued in tandem.

(2) Any use of ODA for military purposes or for aggravation of international conflicts should be avoided.

(3) Full attention should be paid to trends in recipient countries' military expenditures and their development and production of weapons of mass destruction.

(4) Full attention should be paid to efforts for promoting democratization and the introduction of a market-oriented economy, and the situation regarding the protection of freedom and basic human rights.