Non-Governmental Organisations in Japanese Foreign Aid Strategy - Partners or Challengers?

Over the last decade, popularity of NGOs in Japan has grownrapidly and drastically after their heroic rescue mission in a siteof the Great Awaji-Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 attracted wide mediacoverage. Acknowledging their popularity in the society, theJapanese government has named them as partners under Japaneseofficial foreign aid strategy called Kao no Mieru Enjyo (VisibleJapanese Aid) by establishing cooperative system for them in 1989.However, the initial intentions of the government was to utilisetheir good reputation to secure credibility for Japanese aid, whichhas long been internationally criticised. Understanding theintention or not, Japanese NGOs have used various methods of bothofficial and unofficial to be influential over the Japaneseofficial decision-making in foreign aid. This book has examined howthey have become externally influential in exclusive politicalculture, therefore, it is ideal for those who seek to work in NGOsor professional who are already in the field and longing for somelogical back-up for their own practice. The analysis should providea new framework in an international area of NGO study fromnon-Western perspective.