ABSTRACT
Official development Assistance (OdA) is by far the most important aspect of Japan’s relations with Africa. As discussed in my chapter on Japan’s self-help policy (Chapter 4), Japan’s OdA is peculiar among industrialized nations in terms of its background and approach. This peculiarity can be associated with both defects and opportunities. In the context of OdA for Sub-Saharan African countries, despite positive opportunities, Japan’s peculiarity comes with many shortcomings. The shortcomings are conspicuous mainly in two dimensions of aid reforms: one is that of OdA modalities and approaches, and the other is that of the African countries’ political and administrative systems.
