Development Co‑operation Profiles: Japan
Table of contents
Japan prioritises self-reliant development and the mutual benefits of co-operation with partner countries. Japan focuses on quality growth, poverty eradication, peace and stability, and global challenges, leveraging its expertise while respecting partner countries’ ownership. Japan provides more than half of its official development assistance (ODA) in the form of loans, the highest share among Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members in 2024. Japan’s total ODA (USD 16.2 billion, preliminary data) decreased in 2025, representing 0.35% of gross national income (GNI).
This profile presents verified data on Japan’s development assistance allocations. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
The Development Cooperation Charter, revised in 2023, outlines Japan’s approach to development co‑operation, emphasising human security as its core principle. The charter highlights Japan’s commitment to promoting international norms rooted in equity, openness and justice. It aims to promote sustainable growth and uphold a rules-based international order, aligned with Japan’s vision of a “Free and Open Indo‑Pacific”. A focus is also placed on the promotion of quality growth for long-term social and economic development and enhancing regional connectivity.
Japan places great importance on dialogue and collaboration with diverse actors to tackle the compound crises and development challenges confronting the international community. For instance, it partners with multilateral organisations, leveraging their expertise and networks to build synergies with its bilateral co‑operation, and to reach less accessible sectors and regions. Through its engagement with multilaterals, Japan supports the rule of law and peace while aiming to promote inclusive, resilient societies that contribute to free trade; long-term prosperity; and maintaining financial sustainability and regional stability. Japan is a strong proponent of quality infrastructure investment.
The 2020 OECD-DAC Peer Review praised Japan’s whole-of-society approach to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and recognised Japan as a global champion of disaster risk reduction. It noted that increasing ODA could strengthen Japan’s leadership and commitment to the SDGs and that a mechanism would help ensure coherence between domestic policies and global sustainable development objectives. Whole-of-government country policies would ensure synergies across Japan’s portfolio, and it could be more explicit about how programmes reduce poverty. More streamlined systems and procedures would make Japan a more agile donor. Japan’s 2026 DAC Peer Review will be published at the end of 2026.
Learn from Japan’s practices in Development Co-operation Tools Insights Practices.
Japan provided USD 16.2 billion (preliminary data) of ODA in 2025 (USD 15.6 billion in constant terms), representing 0.35% of GNI.1 This was a decrease of 5.6% in real terms in volume and a decrease in the share of GNI from 2024. This marks the third year of decrease, also explained by the yen depreciation against the dollar. Japan is mindful of the need to achieve the 0.7% ODA/GNI target but has not set a domestic target. Within Japan’s ODA portfolio in 2024, 41.6% was provided in the form of grants, and 58.4% was extended as loans.
In 2025, Japan ranked 5th among Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members in terms of ODA volume and 13th when ODA is taken as a share of GNI. The majority of Japan’s ODA is delivered bilaterally through the public sector. Among DAC members in 2024, it has one of the highest bilateral shares of country programmable aid (80.2% of gross bilateral ODA). Japan is one the biggest providers of ODA in support of climate (USD 11.3 billion) and the environment (USD 10.4 billion). Japan provided 59.1% of bilateral allocable ODA to aid for trade in 2024.
Japan is committed to several international targets and DAC standards and recommendations. Learn more about DAC Recommendations.
Notes: This table only includes information about ODA data-related DAC recommendations. ODA: official development assistance; GNI: gross national income; DAC: Development Assistance Committee.
Japan provided most of its ODA bilaterally in 2024. Gross bilateral ODA was 85.7% of total ODA disbursements. Of this, 16.7% was channelled through multilateral organisations (earmarked contributions).
In 2024, Japan provided USD 5.7 billion of gross ODA to the multilateral system, a fall of 11.8% in real terms from 2023. Of this, USD 2.8 billion was core multilateral ODA (14.3% of total ODA), while USD 2.9 billion was non-core contributions earmarked for a specific country, region, theme or purpose. Project-type funding earmarked for a specific theme and/or country accounted for 16.1% of Japan’s non‑core contributions, and 83.9% was programmatic funding (to pooled funds and specific-purpose programmes and funds). The World Bank (USD 1.6 billion), regional banks (USD 981.8 million) and vertical funds (Green Climate Fund – USD 272 million; Global Fund – USD 252.2 million; GAVI USD 181 million) are Japan’s main multilateral partners.
The United Nations (UN) system received 30.4% of Japan’s contributions to multilateral organisations, of which USD 1.3 billion (73.5%) represented earmarked contributions. Out of a total volume of USD 1.7 billion to the UN system, the top three UN recipients of Japan’s support (core and earmarked contributions) were the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (USD 413.6 million), the United Nations Development Programme (USD 212.1 million) and the World Food Programme (USD 158.5 million).
See the section on Geographic, sectoral and thematic focus of ODA for the breakdown of bilateral allocations, including ODA earmarked through the multilateral development system.
Learn more by exploring the DAC members’ use of the multilateral system dashboard.
In 2024, Japan’s bilateral spending declined compared to the previous year. It provided USD 17.1 billion of gross bilateral ODA (which includes earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations). This represented a decrease of 12.4% in real terms from 2023.
In 2024, country programmable aid amounted to USD 13.7 billion, or 80.2% of Japan’s gross bilateral ODA, compared to the DAC country average of 46.5%.
Japan’s in-donor refugee costs amounted to USD 9.7 million (0.1% of gross bilateral ODA) in 2024, while humanitarian aid was USD 888.9 million, or 5.9% of gross bilateral ODA.
Japan has a strategy guiding its engagement in triangular co-operation. Its approach is focused on scaling-up bilateral co-operation and advancing the third-country training programmes. Japan is a member of the Global Partnership Initiative (GPI) on Effective Triangular Co-operation. Learn more about triangular co‑operation.
In 2024, Japan channelled its bilateral ODA mainly through public sector. Technical co-operation made up 7.5% of gross ODA in 2024.
In 2024, civil society organisations (CSOs) received USD 193.4 million of gross bilateral ODA, of which 7.4% was directed to developing country-based CSOs. Overall, 0.8% of gross bilateral ODA was allocated to CSOs as core contributions and 0.3% was channelled through CSOs to implement projects initiated by the provider (earmarked funding). From 2023 to 2024, the combined core and earmarked contributions for CSOs as a share of bilateral ODA remained at 1.1%.
Learn more by reading the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid and by exploring the ODA to civil society organisations dashboard.
In 2024, Japan’s bilateral ODA primarily focused on Asia (excluding the Middle East). USD 9.4 billion was allocated to Asia (excluding the Middle East) and USD 2.1 billion to countries in Africa, accounting respectively for 55.1% and 12.3% of gross bilateral ODA. USD 1.6 billion was allocated to Middle East. Asia (excluding the Middle East) was also the main regional recipient of Japan’s earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations.
In 2024, 59.5% of gross bilateral ODA went to Japan’s top 10 recipients. Its top 10 recipients are mainly in Asia, which is in line with its policy priorities. The share of gross bilateral ODA not allocated by country was 19.1%, of which 0.3% consisted of expenditures for processing and hosting refugees in provider countries.
In 2024, Japan allocated 0.10% of its GNI to the least developed countries (LDCs). Japan allocated the highest share of gross bilateral ODA (43.1%) to lower middle-income countries in 2024, noting that 19.1% was unallocated by income group. LDCs received 19.7% of Japan’s gross bilateral ODA (USD 3.4 billion). Additionally, Japan allocated 9.1% of gross bilateral ODA to land-locked developing countries in 2024, equal to USD 1.6 billion.
The distribution of Japan’s ODA in net terms in relation to “ODA per person in extreme poverty”2 was USD 4.4 in LDCs, USD 10.3 in lower middle-income countries (LMICs) and USD 15.1 in upper middle-income countries.
In 2025, Japan provided USD 654.8 million of net bilateral ODA to Ukraine to respond to the impacts of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion, a 34.7% increase from 2024 in real terms. USD 90.4 million of the amount was humanitarian assistance in 2025, a 49.3% decrease in real terms from 2024.
Support to contexts with high and extreme fragility was USD 4.9 billion in 2024, representing 28.7% of Japan’s gross bilateral ODA. Of this ODA, 6.3% was provided in the form of humanitarian assistance, an increase from 5.3% in 2023, while 2.5% was allocated to peace, a decrease from 6% in 2023. Conflict prevention, a subset of contributions to peace, represented 0.9% of gross bilateral ODA, increasing from 0.7% in 2023.
Learn more about the States of Fragility platform.
In 2024, the largest focus of Japan’s bilateral ODA was economic infrastructure and services. Investments in this area accounted for 43.3% of bilateral ODA commitments (USD 6.5 billion), with a strong focus on support to transport and storage (USD 6.2 billion), energy (USD 157.9 million) and communications (USD 52 million). ODA for multi-sector totalled USD 2.5 billion, with the largest share unspecified. Social infrastructure and services amounted to USD 2.3 billion (15.6% of bilateral ODA). Earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations also focused on other macro sectors and production sectors in 2024.
In the period 2023-2024, Japan committed 55.7% of screened bilateral allocable ODA to gender equality and women’s empowerment compared to 57.8% in 2021-2022 and a DAC average of 48.2% in 2023-2024. This is equal to USD 10.3 billion of screened bilateral allocable ODA in support of gender equality on average per year. In addition:
The share of screened bilateral allocable ODA committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment as a principal objective was 1.2% in 2023-2024, compared with the DAC average of 4.2%.
Japan includes gender equality objectives in 38.5% of ODA for humanitarian aid, above the 2023‑2024 DAC average of 21.5%.
Japan screens the majority of bilateral allocable ODA against the DAC gender equality policy marker (92.3% in 2023-2024).
Japan committed USD 27 million of ODA to end violence against women and girls, and USD 23.2 million to support women’s rights organisations and movements, and government institutions on average per year in 2023-2024.
Learn more by reading the DAC Recommendation on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance and the DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation in Development Co-operation, and by exploring the development finance for gender equality dashboard.
In 2023-2024, Japan committed 59% of its total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 11.8 billion) in support of the environment and the Rio Conventions, down from 68.1% in 2021-2022. The DAC average was 39%. In addition:
4.2% of screened bilateral allocable ODA focused on environmental issues as a principal objective, compared with the DAC average of 11.2%.
56.4% of total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 11.3 billion) focused on climate change overall (the DAC average was 35.4%), down from 67.3% in 2021-2022. Japan had a greater focus on mitigation (46.6%) than on adaptation (16.1%) in 2023-2024.
1.7% of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 315.7 million) focused on biodiversity overall (the DAC average was 8.6%), down from 2.1% in 2021-2022.
0.5% of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 99 million) focused on desertification overall (the DAC average was 4.2%), up from 0.1% in 2021-2022.
Learn more about the DAC Declaration on Aligning Development Co-operation with the Goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The OECD’s tracking of ODA for the sustainable ocean economy shows that Japan committed USD 210.8 million in support of the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean in 2024, USD 1.1 billion less than in 2023. The 2024 value is equivalent to 1.5% of Japan’s bilateral allocable ODA.
In 2024, Japan:
Allocated 3.8% of its bilateral ODA (USD 647.2 million) to core poverty-reducing sectors as defined by SDG 1.a.1. This indicator captures grants to basic social services (such as basic health and education, water supply and sanitation, multisector aid for basic social services) and development food aid. In addition, 0.5% of bilateral ODA (USD 83.3 million) went to social protection support. Learn more by exploring the Reducing poverty and inequalities through ODA data explainer.
Committed USD 1.3 billion (9.1% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to address the immediate or underlying determinants of malnutrition in developing countries across a variety of sectors, such as health, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and water supply and sanitation.
Committed USD 4.9 billion (34.3% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to development co-operation projects and programmes that promote the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
Committed USD 7.1 million (0% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to the mobilisation of domestic resources in developing countries. Regarding the payment of local tax and customs duties for ODA-funded goods and services, Japan generally seeks exemptions. It makes this information available on the OECD Digital Transparency Hub on the Tax Treatment of ODA.
Committed USD 8.4 billion (59.1% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to promote aid for trade and improve developing countries’ trade performance and integration into the world economy in 2024. Japan is among the top 10 official providers of aid for trade globally. Learn more by exploring the Aid for Trade dashboard.
In 2024, total official and private flows from Japan to developing countries amounted to USD 36.2 billion in net terms. Official sources accounted for USD 11.6 billion, while USD 24.5 billion originated from private sources.
To help build markets in developing countries and incentivise greater mobilisation of private resources for development, many providers, including Japan, have established development finance institutions and similar vehicles that extend private sector instruments (PSI). The Private Sector Investment Finance of Japan’s International Cooperation Agency (JICA PSIF) was assessed as an ODA-eligible PSI vehicle. PSI represented 1.8% of Japan’s ODA in 2024 while the DAC average stood at 1.9%.
In 2024, JICA PSIF extended USD 841.3 million in the form of PSI to developing countries.3 Of this, loans accounted for 72.3% whereas equities accounted for 27.7%.
In 2024, USD 95.9 million (11.4%) of Japan’s private sector instruments were allocated to the LDCs and other low-income countries (LICs). By contrast, 63.7% was received by middle-income countries, notably upper middle-income countries (36.1%). USD 209.3 million was unallocated by income. Japan’s PSI primarily supported projects in the energy sector (33.9%) and other multisector (23.3%).
Japan uses leveraging mechanisms to mobilise private finance for sustainable development. In 2024, Japan Bank for International Co-operation, Japan International Co-operation Agency and Nippon Export and Investment Insurance mobilised USD 913.8 million from the private sector through guarantees, syndicated loans, credit lines, direct investment in companies and special purpose vehicles and shares in collective investment vehicles. This constituted a 25.8% decrease compared to 2023.
Private finance mobilised by Japan in 2023-2024 mainly targeted middle-income countries, representing 83.9% of its total mobilised. Only 6.1% of total mobilised private finance during this period benefited the LDCs and other low-income countries (LICs), noting that 10% was unallocated by income.
Mobilised private finance by Japan in 2023-2024 related mainly to activities in energy (45.1%), as its top sector. Furthermore, over this period, 34.2% of Japan’s total mobilised private finance was for climate action.
Learn more by exploring the Mobilisation of private finance for development dashboard.
Total official support for sustainable development (TOSSD) is an international statistical standard that monitors and increases the transparency of all official and officially supported resources for financing the SDGs received by developing countries (Pillar 1) and for addressing global challenges (Pillar 2). In 2024, activities reported by Japan as TOSSD totalled USD 21.5 billion, marking a 9% decrease compared with the previous year.4 Japan’s TOSSD activities mostly targeted SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG 13 (climate action) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth).
Activity-level data on TOSSD by recipient are available at: https://tossd.online.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is responsible for co-ordinating the planning of Japan’s development co-operation policies and most contributions to multilateral organisations. JICA is the main agency responsible for implementing bilateral ODA. It provides grants, Japanese ODA loans and technical co-operation in response to the priorities of each partner country. JICA conducts its operations based on medium-term plans stipulating five-year cycles. The 5th Medium-Term Plan (2022-2026) addresses infrastructure, economic growth, human-centered development, universal values and peacebuilding, and global issues.
In 2025, MOFA has approximately 6 700 staff, 45% based in Japan and 55% based in embassies abroad. JICA has approximately 2 000 staff, 80% of which are based in Japan and 20% of which are in country offices abroad.
Japanese CSOs are active in development co-operation, humanitarian assistance and global citizenship education. The Japan NGO Center for International Co-operation promotes networking and collaborative activities among non-governmental organisations engaged in international co-operation.
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development placed a renewed emphasis on strengthening the effectiveness of all forms of development co-operation by upholding and elevating the Effectiveness Principles. Adherence to these principles is measured through the partner country-led monitoring exercise of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC).
Notes: The global aggregate results of the 4th GPEDC monitoring round (2023-2026) will be published in the forthcoming 2026 GPEDC Global Monitoring Report. Learn more about partner countries’ participation, progress and country-specific results by exploring the GPEDC Global Dashboard. Japan's results for the 2023-26 round are based on reporting in 38 countries. CRS: Creditor Reporting System; IATI: International Aid Transparency Initiative.
Internal systems and processes help ensure the delivery of Japan’s development co-operation. The table below highlights select features.
Access the full list of development co-operation providers at: Development Co-operation Profiles.
2020 OECD-DAC Peer Review of Japan: https://doi.org/10.1787/b2229106-en.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA): https://www.jica.go.jp/english.
Japan NGO Center for International Co-operation: https://www.janic.org/en.
JICA (2024), Japan International Cooperation Agency, Annual Report, https://www.jica.go.jp/english/about/disc/report/2024/index.html.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (2023), Japan’s Development Cooperation Charter: Japan’s Contributions to the Sustainable Development of a Free and Open World, https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/page24e_000410.html.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (2015), Development Co-operation Charter: For Peace, Prosperity and a Better Future for Everyone: https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000067701.pdf.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA): https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/index.html.
Japan has been a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) since 1960.
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied, including the grant-equivalent methodology, core and earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, country programmable aid, channels of delivery, bilateral ODA unspecified/unallocated, bilateral allocable ODA, the gender equality policy marker, and the environment markers.
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.
This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.
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← 1. DAC members adopted the grant-equivalent methodology starting from their reporting of 2018 data as a more accurate way to count the donor effort in development loans. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 2. Aid per person in extreme poverty is calculated by dividing net ODA (bilateral and imputed multilateral) by the population in extreme poverty in each country. It estimates how much ODA each person in extreme poverty would receive if total ODA was divided evenly among the extreme poor. This metric does not measure the amount of ODA actually received by each person in extreme poverty, nor does it measure how much ODA goes to poverty reduction. It instead highlights patterns in total ODA allocations relative to the number of people living in extreme poverty in each country. Group averages are calculated based on a weighted average of aid per person in extreme poverty and the number of people in extreme poverty for each country in the group. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 3. In 2023, the DAC agreed on revised reporting methods for measuring PSI in ODA based on ODA grant equivalents. Members may, however, take up to two years to transition to the new methods, with their PSI continuing to be accounted for on a net ODA basis during the transition period.
← 4. This amount does not include mobilised private finance by Japan.