I was interviewed recently by a British postgraduate student who was in Tokyo to write a doctoral thesis on Japanese policies relating to official development assistance. She met a Foreign Ministry official to obtain information about Japan's ODA policy guidelines, but she said the interview was disappointing because the official failed to explain clearly rule No. 4 of the guidelines, which is on promoting democracy.
To clear the doubts, I later talked with a ranking Foreign Ministry official who has handled economic aid for a long time. I found out that the rule was extremely vague. As a Japanese, I was able to understand part of it, but it was hardly surprising that a foreign student did not understand it at all.
Rule No. 4 says that in extending ODA, Japan will try to promote democratization, assist in the introduction of a market economy and pay attention to the protection of human rights and freedom.