2019 Volume 57 Issue 1 Pages 31-55
This article discusses the process of negotiation by which the Japanese government reached an agreement on economic and technological cooperation with the Cambodian government, in which both parties eventually decided to build an agricultural laboratory and medical center. In order to strengthen its economy, Cambodia wished to obtain economic aid from Japan while surrendering its right to request reparation for the losses it incurred due to Japan’s invasion during World War II. Japan appreciated the Cambodian goodwill, because establishing a friendly relationship would be meaningful in securing the Japanese return to post-World War II international society. For Japan, moreover, the success of the negotiations with Cambodia would become the best reference case that could dissuade the South Vietnamese and Indonesian governments from claiming “exorbitant” reparation. Yet, the amount of aid that the Cambodians initially expected reduced within a short period of time, as a result of inter-organizational politics within the Japanese government.
