Ungenerous Japan (Newsweek blog Wealth of Nations)

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Nov 20, 2009

Newsweek blog Wealth of Nations features CGD's Commitment to Development Index.

From the article:

"Japan, the globe's second-largest economy, has long prided itself on its reputation as one of the world's most generous ¬nations. But the Center for Global Development (CGD) thinks the country is punching below its weight. A recent report by the reputable Washington think tank ranked ¬Japan the second-worst contributor among the 22 countries it surveyed. The analysis of "how much countries are living up to their potential to help" found that while Japan's foreign-aid budget is large in absolute terms, it amounts to only 0.18 percent of gross national income, compared with 0.98 percent for Sweden, which ranks first. The report also dings ¬Japan for its insular policies, such as Tokyo's steep tariffs on rice imports (to protect its farmers), its strict policy on refugees (it accepted a mere 410 out of 4,882 applicants between 1982 and 2005), and its small contributions to global peacekeeping efforts (due to restrictions in its pacifist Constitution).

The new Yukio Hatoyama administration may improve matters. Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has said he will review and increase Tokyo's official development assistance and make it easier to deploy peacekeeping personnel. Last week Tokyo also announced it will dole out $5 billion to Afghanistan over the next five years. But don't expect Japan to move up the ranks on the CGD's scale any time soon--considering the country's severe budget crunch, the coming changes are likely to be incremental at best."

Read the article