FROM ECONOMIC GROWTH STRATEGY TO SECURITY POLICY: JAPAN’S OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE AND NATIONAL INTERESTS

Abstrakt

The aim of this article is to examine the evolution of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA). It is argued that provision of ODA has been closely linked with promotion of Tokyo’s national interests, though its use evolved over time. During the Cold War, ODA was taken advantage of to gain access to Asian markets and bolster Japan’s economic growth. In the 1970s, greater emphasis was put on stabilizing situation in the region through humanitarian aid. After the end of Cold War, in turn, Tokyo started using ODA to exert political pressure on countries that posed a challenge to the regional security system, such as China. The strategic dimension of ODA was emphasized after revision of ODA rules in 2015, which allowed financing projects with participation of armed forces involved in development cooperation for non-military purposes. Taking advantage of institutional and legal analysis as well as comparative method, the article examines the securitization of Japan’s ODA through the lens of the evolving international environment. Overcoming the limitations of partial explanations of determinants of Japan’s ODA that refer either to economic interests and humanitarian concerns or to security considerations, such approach enables a comprehensive analysis of Tokyo’s motivations behind ODA in different periods.