After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, Japan adopted tough sanctions against Iraq and strongly supported the UN effort against the aggression. Japan actively supported the Israel-Palestine peace framework. Under the framework of the Middle East Peace Process, Japan chairs the multilateral working group on environment and participates in other working groups. In the 1990s, Japanese military and police forces as well as civilians have participated in a wide variety of UN peacekeeping missions. The Japanese military dispatched 105 personnel to Central America to provide humanitarian disaster relief in Honduras and Nicaragua in the wake of Hurricane Mitch.
Development assistance is a major tool of Japan's foreign policy.
Japanese aid to other Asian countries exceeds that of the United States, and Japan is also a major donor to Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Japan and the United States hold regular consultations to coordinate foreign assistance programs. The United States supports Japan's efforts to open its markets to developing nations' products. The United States' close and cooperative relationship with Japan is the cornerstone of U.S. policy in Asia and the basis of a strong, productive partnership in addressing global issues. Despite different social and cultural traditions, Japan and the United States have much in common.