The Foreign Ministry will try to have Japan's budget for foreign aid increased in fiscal 2006 for the first time since 1999, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Monday.
"We will make efforts" so the government can clearly say it will increase the budget for official development assistance in an outline for spending policy due out around June 20, Machimura told a meeting on foreign aid policy.
Machimura said his ministry has begun lobbying the Finance Ministry and other entities for a hike in ODA prior to the planned release of a draft budget plan for the next fiscal year.
Machimura indicated Japan should increase spending on ODA as the international community is moving in the direction of boosting foreign aid budgets.
He was referring to projections that Japan's foreign aid is likely to be surpassed by Britain and France in 2006 or 2007.
Under such circumstances, it would not be of benefit to Japan to continue to cut its foreign aid budget, Machimura said.