A Conversation with Mr. Shohei Hara, Senior Vice President of JICA | The Futures Summit

JICA’s approach to development cooperation is closely tied to Japan’s broader role as an increasingly central actor in global aid. As traditional donors scale back, Japan is projected to become the world’s largest provider of foreign aid, placing JICA at the forefront of shaping how development cooperation evolves in this new landscape. At the same time, major shifts in U.S. policy toward more investment-driven approaches to aid are contributing to a more competitive and fragmented system. 

In this context, Japan’s model offers a contrasting approach that emphasizes long-term engagement, partner-country ownership, and the gradual building of economic and institutional capacity. Drawing on decades of experience in Southeast Asia, JICA has focused on infrastructure development, human capital, and sustained on-the-ground partnerships to create conditions for growth rather than pursuing short-term returns. This approach highlights a broader concern in the current development landscape: as more donors align aid with strategic or commercial interests, there is a risk that cooperation becomes more transactional, leaving the most vulnerable countries with fewer reliable partners. JICA’s model, centered on trust and continuity, provides an alternative framework for development cooperation at a time when global norms are shifting.

Tune in on Friday, April 17 at 2:00pm ET for a discussion on this new era of development cooperation with CSIS Vice President Noam Unger, Vice President of the CSIS Global Development Department, and Shohei Hara, Senior Vice President of JICA.

The CSIS Futures Summit is made possible through generous support from Chevron Inc. (Founding sponsor), ADM, Cisco, and the Embassy of Denmark in Washington D.C.