Abstract

ROMERO, María Elena  and  USCANGA, Carlos. Japan: Securing Cooperation or Cooperating to Security?. Méx.cuenca pac [online]. 2016, vol.5, n.14, pp.53-78. ISSN 2007-5308.

Six decades of being a donor, Japan undertook a reform of its Official Development Assistance Charter. In February 2015, Japan changed the name to the so-called document for Development Cooperation Charter (DCC). The new instrument establishes clearly the nexus of international cooperation for development with security issues and national interest. The strategies set forth in the DCC have raised a debate on whether Japan is moving away from its pacifist policy. In this sense, this article considers that while the Charter does not set explicit support for military activities, the DCC does open a door to fund those projects which represent a political, economic or commercial interest. It also opens the possibility of taking action and, cooperates in military terms. Japanese civil society opposition to DCC and deepening privatization of the international cooperation is also analyzed in this article.

Keywords : official development assistance; international development cooperation; security; national interest and civil society.

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