Japan’s Development Cooperation Charter will be revised in the first half of this year. This document will serve as a guideline for the government of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, as well as us, Japanese NGOs, and Japanese citizens to assist in low- and middle-income countries.
Although the government's overall official development assistance, or ODA, budget has been reduced to about half of its 1997 peak, the total Japanese ODA budget for 2021 is the third-largest after the U.S. and Germany.
The development cooperation charter’s revision is strongly imbued with the idea that “ODA is an important tool for [Japan's] national interest.” While the recommendations of the advisory panel convened by the government to revise the ODA guidelines noted that the ODA budget should be doubled over the next decade, they also advocated adherence to the non-military principle of avoiding the use of ODA for military purposes.
About the author
Yuko Nagasaka
Yuko Nagasaka is the communication officer of RESULTS Japan, working to increase the commitment from the government of Japan toward universal health coverage. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she assisted in the operation of the health center in the slum area of Nairobi, Kenya. Her specialization is communication as a journalist in Japanese media.
