![Jica hyogo01s3200](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Jica_hyogo01s3200.jpg)
The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of
Official Development Assistance
Official development assistance (ODA) is a category used by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to measure aid, foreign aid. The DAC first adopted the concept in ...
(ODA) for the
government of Japan
The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary stat ...
. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in
developing countries
A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...
, and the promotion of international cooperation. The OECD's
Development Assistance Committee
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) is a forum to discuss issues surrounding aid, development and poverty reduction in developing countries. It describes itself as being the ...
published a peer review of Japan's development co-operation in October 2020. It was led by Dr.
Shinichi Kitaoka
is a Japanese political scientist. He has held many roles such as the president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), president of the International University of Japan, professor at Japan's GRIPS-Tokyo School of Security and I ...
, the former President of the
International University of Japan
The is a private university located in Minamiuonuma city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.
IUJ is the first graduate university in Japan, not offering undergraduate degrees, and one of the few Japanese universities which offers all courses in En ...
, from 2015 to 2022. On 1 April 2022, Professor
Akihiko Tanaka
is a Japanese academic specializing in theories of international systems, contemporary international relations in East Asia, Japan-US relations, and Japan-China relations. He is also an author, policy adviser, a media commentator, an administrator ...
assumed the presidency of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as the successor to Professor Shinichi Kitaoka.
History
JICA's predecessor, the previous Japan International Cooperation Agency (also known as "JICA"), was a semi-governmental organization under the jurisdiction of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
, formed in 1974. The new JICA was formed on October 1, 2003. A major component of the comprehensive overhaul of Japan's ODA decided by the
National Diet
The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (Japan), House of Councillors (, ...
in November 2006, is that the merger in 2008 will be between JICA and that part of the
Japan Bank for International Cooperation
The , JBIC, is a Japanese public financial institution and export credit agency that was created on October 1, 1999, through the merger of the Japan Export-Import Bank (JEXIM) and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF).
JBIC became the in ...
(JBIC) which currently extends concessional loans to developing countries.
Since its completion on 1 October 2008, the new JICA has become one of the largest bilateral development organizations in the world with a network of 97 overseas offices, projects in more than 150 countries, and available financial resources of approximately 1 trillion yen ($8.5 billion). The reorganized agency is also responsible for administering part of Japan's grant aid which is currently under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and so all three major ODA components—technical cooperation, grant aid, and concessional loans—are now managed "under one roof." The new JICA will also strengthen research and training capacity in the years ahead, acting as a kind of ODA
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
, contributing to global development strategies, strengthening collaboration with international institutions, and being better able to communicate Japan's position on major development and aid issues.
The forthcoming changes will be an extension of a series of JICA reforms which began in October 2003 when it became administratively independent. The organization's domestic establishments including international centers where JICA helps train some 8,000 foreign public officials, researchers, engineers, instructors and community leaders annually in Japan are being streamlined. The organization is also undergoing operational and organizational change in its country offices. Greater emphasis is being placed on a field-based approach to programs/projects, decentralizing staff, and delegating increased authority from Tokyo headquarters to overseas offices, reducing bureaucracy, and fast tracking programs/projects.
An increasing number of JICA programs/projects focus on what JICA's former President, Mrs. Sadako Ogata describes as providing "human security". The recently developed concept of "human security" will empower local communities to have a greater say in their own futures by strengthening grassroots programs, such as improving education and health projects.
Timeline
* 1954 Apr - Japan joins
Colombo Plan
The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri L ...
and initiates technical cooperation programs
* 1962 Jun - Overseas Technology Cooperation Agency (OTCA) established
* 1963 Jul - Japan Emigration Service (JEMIS) established
* 1965 Apr - Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) program launched
* 1974 Aug - OTCA and JEMIS merge to form the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
* 1987 Sep - Disaster Relief Team formed
* 1989 - Total official development assistance (ODA) contributions exceed that of the United States to become the highest in the world
* 1990 Apr - Senior Cooperation Specialist (Senior Overseas Volunteer) dispatch program begun
* 2003 Oct - JICA established as an
Independent Administrative Institution
An Incorporated Administrative Agency (独立行政法人, ''Dokuritsu gyōsei hōjin'' or ''Dokugyo'' in abbreviation) is a type of legal corporation formulated by the Government of Japan under the Act on General Rules for Incorporated Administrat ...
Presidents
JICA's current and former presidents:
* since April 2022:
Akihiko Tanaka
is a Japanese academic specializing in theories of international systems, contemporary international relations in East Asia, Japan-US relations, and Japan-China relations. He is also an author, policy adviser, a media commentator, an administrator ...
* 2015-2022:
Shinichi Kitaoka
is a Japanese political scientist. He has held many roles such as the president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), president of the International University of Japan, professor at Japan's GRIPS-Tokyo School of Security and I ...
* 2012–2015:
Akihiko Tanaka
is a Japanese academic specializing in theories of international systems, contemporary international relations in East Asia, Japan-US relations, and Japan-China relations. He is also an author, policy adviser, a media commentator, an administrator ...
* 2003–2012:
Sadako Ogata
, was a Japanese academic, diplomat, author, administrator, and professor emerita at the Roman Catholic Sophia University. She was widely known as the head of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) from 1991 to ...
Activities
JICA is part of Japan's official development assistance effort, with a role in providing technical cooperation, capital grants and yen loans. According to the
OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...
, 2020
official development assistance
Official development assistance (ODA) is a category used by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to measure aid, foreign aid. The DAC first adopted the concept in ...
from Japan increased 1.2% to USD 16.3 billion.
JICA's core development programs (aid modalities) are technical assistance programs/projects for capacity and institutional development, feasibility studies and master plans. The
Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), JICA Senior Volunteers, and Japan Disaster Relief Team groups of JICA are widely known among the Japanese general public and tax-payers. Japan Disaster Relief Team members are often seen in news reports on relief efforts after major
natural disaster
A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...
s around the world, such as the
2005 South Asian earthquake.
JICA's Mission Statement:
"We, as a bridge between the people of Japan and developing countries, will advance international cooperation through the sharing of knowledge and experience and will work to build a more peaceful and prosperous world."
;Major aid modalities
*Technical assistance programs/projects for capacity and institutional development
*Feasibility studies and master plans
*Dispatch of Specialists
Specialists dispatched to the field include those recommended from related government ministries and agencies as well as those applying through the specialist registration system. Assignments range from extended stays of over a year to shorter stays of less than one year.
Technical training program
JICA provides technical training for participants from the developing countries in a wide range of fields, including medical, industrial, and agricultural training.
* Training within Japan
** Group training
*** Field-specific course (Course aimed at deepening understanding of worldwide issues in various fields. Courses are generally between four and 15 people, 10 on average. Course length varies from three weeks to one year.)
*** Country/Region-specific course (Course aimed at deepening understanding of issues specific to a country or region)
** Individual training (Generally technical training specific to a project)
** Accommodation
::JICA has its own accommodation facilities for participants of many of its programs. They are located in the important cities in Japan and are generally referred to as International Centers. The one at Tokyo is Tokyo International Center situated in
Hatagaya, Shibuya
is an area within Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.
Origins
It is said the origin of the name Hatagaya, comes from the year 1082, when Minamoto no Yoshiie was returning to his home and stopped in the area and washed a white flag, put it up on a pole ...
. The facilities are of good quality and details are available in th
JICA website
Volunteer dispatch
*
Japan (Youth) Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV)
* Senior Overseas Volunteers
* Nikkei Society Youth Volunteers
* Nikkei Society Senior Volunteers
See also
*
Development aid
Development aid is a type of aid, foreign/international/overseas aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political International development, development of developing countries. Closely-rel ...
*
Japan Foundation
The was established in 1972 by an Act of the National Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an Independent Administrative Institution under the jurisdiction of the Ministry o ...
*
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...
*
Koyamada International Foundation
Koyamada International Foundation, commonly referred to as KIF or KIF Global, is an international non-governmental organization, with its mission to improve quality of people's life by empowering global youth and women to reach their full potent ...
*
JICA research Institute
*
SATREPS
SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development, 地球規模課題対応国際科学技術協力) is a Japanese government program that promotes international joint research targeting global issues. The program is ...
References
External links
*
JICA official website in English*
JICA official website in Japanese*
JICA Japan Overseas Migration Museum website
{{Authority control
International development agencies
International Cooperation Agency
International Cooperation Agency
Government agencies established in 2003
2003 establishments in Japan