1st Edition
Japan and Africa Globalization and Foreign Aid in the 21st Century
Since the early 1990s, Japan has played an increasingly important and influential role in Africa. A primary mechanism that has furthered its influence has been through its foreign aid policies. Japan’s primacy, however, has been challenged by changing global conditions related to aid to Africa, including the consolidation of the poverty reduction agenda and China’s growing presence in Africa.
This book analyzes contemporary political and economic relations in foreign aid policy between Japan and Africa. Primary questions focus on Japan’s influence in the African continent, reasons for spending its limited resources to further African development, and the way Japan’s foreign aid is invested in Africa. The context of examining Japan’s foreign aid policies highlights the fluctuation between its commitments in contributing to international development and its more narrow-minded pursuit of its national interests.
The contributors examine Japan’s foreign aid policy within the theme of a globalized economy in which Japan and Africa are inextricably connected. Japan and many African countries have come to realize that both sides can obtain benefits through closely coordinated aid policies. Moreover, Japan sees itself to represent a distinct voice in the international donor community while Africa needs foreign aid from all sources.
1 Introduction: The Global Politics of Japan- African Relations, Howard Lehman and TAKAHASHI Motoki 2 History of Japanese ODA to Africa, SATO Makoto 3 The Asian Economic Model in Africa: Japanese Development Lessons for Africa, Howard Lehman 4 The Ambiguous Japan: Aid Experience and the Notion of Self-Help, TAKAHASHI Motoki 5 International Debt Management: Japan’s Policy to Africa, HASEGAWA Jun’ichi 6 Policy Coordination among Donors and Japan’s Position, HASHIMOTO Nobuyuki and Debbie Warner 7 Japan and the Poverty Reduction Aid Regime: Challenges and Opportunities in Assistance for Africa, TAKAHASHI Motoki 8 The Chinese Challenge in Africa: Competitor or Partner for Japan?, Chris Alden 9 Conclusion: Japan-African Relations in an Age of Globalization, Howard Lehman and TAKAHASHI Motoki
Biography
Howard P. Lehman received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Minnesota in 1987 and has been teaching at the University of Utah since 1986. His publications include a book on economic development and many articles on South Africa, foreign debt negotiations, and African interest groups.
"As stand-alone works... the chapters are interesting, engaging, and informative. They uncover the philosophy behind Japanese aid policies to Africa, as well as the difficulties Japan has faced as it seeks to cooperate with other donors." - Mary M. McCarthy, Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, Drake University, East Asian Integration Studies, Vol. 6, no. 14 2013.
