In June 2023, the Japanese government established a new Development Cooperation Charter. In line with the National Security Strategy (NSS) revised earlier, the new Charter positioned development cooperation as “one of the most important tools of Japan’s diplomacy.” Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) has traditionally been expected to contribute to security and the pursuit of economic gain while responding to the demands of international society, but the new Charter introduced a stronger expectation of the strategic role of ODA. Moreover, in April 2023 a new assistance framework specifically for security was launched separately from ODA. Today, defense capacity building assistance has become well established, and Japan’s range of foreign aid policy instruments is expanding, including into the area of military affairs, which Japan has traditionally hesitated to pursue.
This article offers an overview of ODA and other foreign aid policy instruments to advance understanding of Japan’s diplomatic and security policies. It focuses especially on the emphasis placed on the strategic dimensions of foreign aid in a changing international society, and also examines the recent development of frameworks beyond ODA.
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