What is Strategic "Development Cooperation"?

Recent Japanese policy documents on development cooperation increasingly emphasize the necessity of a "strategic approach" to realize Japan's "national interests." This article, first clarifying the comprehensive and internationalist nature of the current conception of natio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Asia-Pacific Review 2024-05, Vol.31 (2), p.1-12
Main Author: Akihiko, Tanaka
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cooperation
Development policy
International cooperation
Internationalism
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Recent Japanese policy documents on development cooperation increasingly emphasize the necessity of a "strategic approach" to realize Japan's "national interests." This article, first clarifying the comprehensive and internationalist nature of the current conception of national interests in Japan, examines the underlying trends surrounding Japan's development cooperation to explain why a more strategic approach is now emphasized. On the one hand, the increasing budget constraints since the end of the 1990s and the rise of critical views of development cooperation among the public require a more strategic, that is, cost-effective implementation of development cooperation. On the other hand, as Japan's development cooperation has achieved many positive impacts on the developing world and gained trust from many partner countries, it is realized that Japan can strategically advance its national interests by taking advantage of strengths in its development cooperation.
ISSN:1343-9006
1469-2937
DOI:10.1080/13439006.2024.2398377