Japan's Foreign Aid ─ Old Continuities and New Directions

Filling a gap in the existing literature, this book analyzes the distinctive features of Japan’s development aid, especially technical co-operation, in comparison with other donors’ aid. Incorporating a wealth of research, it discusses whether Japan is behind other leading donor countries in rethinking its aid policy and whether it lacks transparency, sensitivity to recipient needs, and a coherent and coordinated policy that targets poverty.

The volume assesses the nature and effectiveness of the administration of Japan’s aid, and explores the degree of involvement of private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Including contributions from experts with direct experience with Japanese ODA, the book provides a wide range of recipient and donor viewpoints and presents important policy recommendations.

David Arase is an associate professor of politics at Pomona College in Claremont, California. He has published extensive research on Japanese foreign policy and East Asian relations including Buying Power: The Political Economy of Japanese Foreign Aid (Lynne Rienner, 1995), and the edited collection The Challenge of Change: East Asia in the New Millennium (Institute of East Asian Studies, UC Berkeley, 2002).