ABSTRACT
We trace the Japanese policy of peace building to the implementation level, putting the main emphasis on the ODA part but also touching on the non-ODA part, and research the difficulties that arise due to Article 9, the so-called peace clause, of the Japanese Constitution that forbids Japan to make military contributions to solve conflicts abroad. Afghanistan is taken as a case study to show how Japanese policy works, beyond the policy rhetoric, on the ground. Some comparison will be made with Swedish action in Afghanistan to make clear what peace-building measures are being used by other nations that do not have a peace clause. The aim here is to research what the link between security and development looks like at the implementation phase, since a number of policy documents both within the UN system and from the DAC Network on Conflict, Peace and Development Cooperation4 have worked to establish the importance of this link. Finally some conclusions will be drawn concerning the goal of Japanese ODA.
