JICA-RI hosts public seminar on "Japanese ODA Seen from Europe"

Hansen first pointed out, as the strength of Japanese ODA compared with that of European countries, that it has focused on establishing the networks of personal contacts through alumni activities: JICA trainees; international students on scholarship of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; and trainees of the Overseas Human Resources and Industry Development Association (HIDA)—former Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS).
She went on introducing a number of characteristics of Japanese ODA from the European perspective: utilizing loans rather than grants since Japan has encouraged recipient countries to promote ‘self-help efforts’—Japan’s aid philosophy; focusing on tied aid (aid without strings) that has drawn much criticism; and centering bilateral aid.

Finally, Hansen once again stressed that Japanese ODA is characterized by its close network of alumni trainees, one of the distinctive qualities of Japan’s ODA style. Continuing the interaction through newsletters, reunions and Facebook, those former trainees from this global network sent messages to encourage Japan right after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Referring to the fact that JICA has extended its appreciation for these messages with a phrase‘global partners and friends,’ Hansen pointed out that such an expression doesn’t exist in European ODA and that it is the concept unique to Japan which intends to foster the personal networking through training.