2024 Volume 33 Issue 2 Pages 105-118
In the recent trend of increasing development cooperation by emerging countries and strengthening national security by the Japanese government, it is worthwhile to analyze the characteristics of the infrastructure cooperation that Japan has implemented as one of the main pilar of its Official Development Assistance and to consider adding new value to it.
Based on the existing literature and the comparison with other development cooperation agencies, this paper examines Japan's distinctive forms of cooperation, including the large proportion of economic infrastructure, the possibility of consistent cooperation through each stage of development, the ability to contribute to cross-border development, the establishment of system of cooperation among various organizations, the use of Japan's unique knowledge, and infrastructure export as a national policy.
In addition, as a way of infrastructure cooperation that maintains a comparative advantage in the development cooperation market and contributes to Japan's national security, the following points are discussed: how to promote ‘high quality infrastructure’ cooperation, contributing to Japan's overall security, support of cross-border development that contributes to regional stability, and implementation of ‘impact infrastructure’ that has a multidimensional effect.
As a final remark, the author stressed that although new value attachments are necessary, an overemphasis on the strategic nature of cooperation may undermine developing countries' trust and sense of security in Japan.
